Members of the cheerleading contingent were chosen on the basis of their beauty and loyalty to the regime
On Tuesday, the presence of a cheering squad in a high level North Korean delegation to Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea in February, was announced.
The secretive regime's most attractive women are often regarded as veritable weapons in the political armoury of Pyongyang. All eyes are expected to be riveted on these beauties as they perform choreographed moves in the stadiums. In the past, it was not unusual for North Korea’s state-controlled media to crow about southerners being captivated by the “squads of beauty.”
It was even reported that the wife of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un was a member of a 101-strong cheerleading squad at the 2005 Asian Athletics Championships in Incheon, South Korea, when she was just 16.
To qualify for selection as a cheerleader, certain criteria must be satisfied. One must be about 20 years old, and from a good family background, although not generally from high-ranking families, and are often chosen from among university or music school students.
Like the North Koreans the US is also sending cheerleaders from the University of Kentucky.
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has raised the status of cheerleading, granting it provisional recognition last year, and paving the way for it to become an official Olympic sport in the future.
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