South Pays for North Koreans at The Olympics

The complicated situation regarding North and South Korea in relations to the Olympics are put into light in this article by Eric Talmadge. Talmadge reports that South Korea has ended up spending $2.5 million in USD to pay for the bills of over 400 North Koreans, of whom only 22 are athletes. It's apparent that the spending isn't without merit. Talmadge notes that the North Korean performers have been a major attraction at the games, stating that "their presence itself is seen as a sign of eased tensions after a very rough year and because of the exotic appeal they have due to the general isolation of their country".