A nation must think before it acts.
Associate Scholar Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein Quoted by CNBC on North Korea’s Olympic Showing
“The emphasis on sports is part of Kim Jong Un’s strategy to construct and highlight more of what makes life fun, such as culture and entertainment,” explained Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, associate scholar at the Philadelphia-based Foreign Policy Research Institute. That’s in stark contrast to previous administrations, which focused on “urging citizens to tighten their belts,” Silberstein continued.
“When something is deemed particularly important and crucial to develop, such as sports, North Korea finds a way of getting what it needs for it,” he added.
Experts note that elite talent has always been well fed and funded, even during years of famine in the late 1990s.