Chang Ung: Olympic Peacemaker's Passing

It's April 1st.

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Chang-un, the former North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, has passed

away at age 87.

He played a big role in sports ties between North and South Korea, including those joint

athlete marches at the Olympics.

The IOC announced his death on Wednesday, saying they learned about its Sunday, and they're

flying the Olympic flag at half-mast for three days in.

Switzerland

Earlier this week, the IOC shared that Chang started as a basketball captain for North

Korea's national team back in the day.

After retiring, he climbed up to Vice Sports Minister and Vice Chair of their Olympic Committee.

Elected to the IOC in 1996, he became North Korea's sole rep on the global stage.

His work sparked real moments of unity, like the two Koreas marching under one unification

flag at the 2000 Sydney Olympics the first since.

They're split in 1945.

Red vibe carried on to later games, including Pyong Chang in 2018, plus first joint teams

in Tableton is back in 1991, women's ice hockey.

But those bridges cooled off as politics soured around 2019, with no sports exchanges

since.

North Korea's media last noted him in 2023, when he got the Olympic Order Award be a video

from an IOC event in India.

Chang's push for cooperation showed sports power to connect divided folks and boost cultural

ties.

The IOC honors his commission's work and lasting hope he inspired across the peninsula.