GANGNUENG, South Korea — There has been hope for a political thaw on this divided peninsula with a combined Korean team at the opening ceremony and in women’s hockey. There has been boundless intrigue about North Korea’s all-female cheering squad. And on Wednesday, there will finally be a much-anticipated performance by North Korea’s only elite athletes at the Winter Olympics.
The figure skaters Ryom Tae-ok, 19, and Kim Ju-sik, 25, are scheduled to compete in the opening round of the pairs competition. They come from the world’s most isolated nation but, to a point, they appear open and expressive and embracing of outside influences.