Asian Games Report : South Korea Wonders: Will Success in 1986 Mean Success in 1988?

If the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee’s motto, “Success in the 1986 Asian Games is Success in the 1988 Seoul Olympics,” is not just another pretty phrase, the Summer Games here in two years will be a remarkable achievement, potentially as glorious as any Olympics in modern history.

But modern history has not been particularly kind to Koreans, or ancient history either for that matter, and there are three ominous clouds on the horizon that could burst over this country’s coming-out party.

These are worst-case scenarios, but Koreans, sometimes called the Irish of the Far East, always prepare for the worst. This trait produces some of the most moving love songs known to man.

First, North Korea, jealous of the positive international attention the South Koreans have received because of the Asian Games and the Olympics, could resort to military action, either overt or covert, U.S. and South Korean officials warn.

Second, the promised “first peaceful transition of power in South Korea’s history,” scheduled to occur early in 1988, could be less than peaceful, perhaps inciting rioting in the streets, martial law and even a military coup, opposition party members and neutral observers warn.

Third, the 37 International Olympic Committee member nations that do not have diplomatic relations with South Korea, including the Soviet Union and China, could boycott the Olympics, perhaps out of solidarity with North Korea, which wants to be included in the management of the Games.

Indicative of the concessions the South Korean government is willing to make to prevent a boycott, it has assured all countries that it will not allow defections by athletes, officials or coaches while they are in the country for the Asian Games or the Olympics.

One reason the Soviets boycotted the 1984 Summer Games, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee officials contended, was that they feared defections by athletes while in the United States.

Iran called the South Koreans on their promise last week, when four of its weightlifters sought political asylum in the Iraq consulate. According to a spokesman for the People’s Mojahedin of Iran, the athletes want to join the resistance movement, which is based in Iraq.

But the South Korean government has asked Iraq to release the athletes to Iran. South Korean police have surrounded the Iraq consulate since the athletes arrived there Friday and are allowing only consulate staff to enter. Negotiations between Iraq and South Korean officials continued Saturday night.

An Iraqi consulate spokesman, Mohammad Sadghi, said Saturday he fears for the athletes’ lives if they are forced to return to Iran.

“It would be very dangerous for them,” he said. “It’s better we don’t think about it.”

This drama will be played out, no doubt to be followed by others during the next two years.

These events, for the most part, will be beyond the domain of the groups that combined to assure that the Asian Games would be the best organized sinced they began in 1951. They are the Sports Ministry, the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee (SLOOC) and the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC). If the fate of the 1988 Summer Olympics rested entirely with them, there would be little question about the Games’ success.

The South Koreans are so well prepared, it has been suggested that they could start the Olympics here as soon as maintenance sweeps the aisles in the Olympic Stadium following tonight’s Asian Games’ closing ceremony.

Would Monday be too soon?

“I would like that,” said Park Shin Ja, a general director of the basketball competition. “Then we could get it over with.”

But the fun is just beginning. Most of the make-or-break work is behind them.

Except for the Olympic Village, which will house the teams, officials and press, and a swimming pool, the facilities are completed. Time will tell how well they are constructed, but they are beautifully designed and paid for with government and corporate funds.

Security is in place. The security force has been efficient but as unobtrusive as it is possible for an army of 200,000 to be. For the women’s marathon, there were 2,000 security guards lining the course for only seven runners.

The South Korean people, except for a minority of students and others concerned about the expense of the Games and their effect on the country’s relationship with North Korea, are enthusiastic, particularly since the home team began winning so many Asian Games medals.

When the competition began, Korean sports officials were optimistic their athletes could surpass Japan for second place in the medal standings but conceded first place to China. Yet, after the South Koreans won all 12 boxing finals Saturday night, they were tied with the Chinese in gold medals with 92 and had a one-medal lead, 220-219, in the overall standings. These are not the Irish of the Far East; these are the East Germans.

Even before the Games began, Lee Ha Woo, SLOOC’s general secretary, said potential volunteers had to be turned away because there were too many of them.

What’s in it for South Korea?

Considering the expense of the Games, South Korean officials admit it is unlikely that they will reap immediate financial benefits. But they say the Asian Games and the Olympics are an investment.

“Once we establish ourselves through the Olympics, more countries will be willing to do business with us,” said Hahn Gi Bock, an assistant minister of sport. “We will have a better place in the world.”

Other South Koreans, however, will be satisfied to have a better face in the world.

“I watch shows like ‘M*A*S*H,’ and they are so derogatory toward Korea and Koreans,” said Bae Yung Hee, wife of KOC general secretary Choy Man Lip. “The actors don’t even speak Korean. They speak Japanese and Chinese. And they wear those hats like the Vietnamese. Koreans never wore those hats.

“That’s just one example, but I don’t think the rest of the world distinguishes Koreans from any other people in the Far East. After the Olympics, though, people everywhere will know that we are different and proud of it.”

South Koreans want the world to know one other thing about them. The Korean War is over. And they won.