For over 70 years, Korea has been split into two different nations: one harboring the North and one harboring the South. The separation, originally along the 38th parallel, was the result of the dismantling of the Japanese empire at the end of World War II. Decades of tensions between North Korea and the rest of the world have culminated in sanctions and verbal threats. It’s for this reason, that the unified presentation of Korea at the Olympic opening ceremony was a very significant, and special moment. In a surprising diplomatic move, North Korea sent a high profile figure, Kim Jong-Un’s sister Kim Yo-Jong, to the Olympic games, and she brought with her an invitation for the South Korean president to engage in talks with the North Korean Kim Jong Un. Although this isn’t the first time Korea has participated in the Olympic Games under a unified banner, it’s the first time North Korean and South Korean athletes have competed together in a team, with women from both North and South Korea comprising the women’s hockey team. The seemingly good-spirited Team Korea opening wasn’t without its controversies, however. One of the most notable events involved current U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who was seated near top North Korea delegation at the opening ceremony. Several headlines quickly proclaimed that Mike Pence didn’t stand for the Team Korea entrance, even though Team USA’s entrance was the only entrance Pence stood for. More recently, headlines are poking at possible consequences North Korean athletes may face when they arrive home, as they’ve garnered no medals so far. For reference, the 1966 North Korean World Cup Team was sentenced to concentration camps after losing 5 -3 to Portugal. After all the media attention and focus on North Korea at the Olympics ends, it will be very interesting to see how international relations between North Korea and the rest of the world change — if they do at all.