They'll think I'm a traitor': North Korean defector makes Winter Paralympics debut

For years that past weighed heavily on him and he struggled after he was smuggled out of the North to South Korea.

But with his debut at the Paralympics in Pyeongchang this week, the 30-year-old hopes to be defined by his accomplishments and his sport, para ice hockey, in which 10 men slide across the ice on sleighs in a modified form of the game.

“There are titles that will always follow me, like defector or beggar, even though I’ve changed so much since then,” Choi said. “But I would like to be remembered as someone who has gone through painful times, and is now full of passion to play this sport representing the Republic of Korea.

“When people talk about sledge ice hockey in South Korea, I want them to mention my name.”


Source :- theguardian