Feb 14, 2018 - World

South Korea is footing the bill for North Korean Olympians

Haley Britzky

The North Korean 'pom pom girls.' Photo: Jean Catuffe / Getty Images

South Korea is picking up the tab for costs North Korea racks up during the 2018 Olympics, according to the Wall Street Journal, approving a $2.7 million fund to cover the expenses.

Why it matters: North Korea is a poor country that doesn't pay its debts around the world — on hotel bills, parking tickets, or anything else for that matter. In talks ahead of the games, "there was little question that the South would pay."

But, but, but: Some South Korean citizens think it would be inappropriate to make the North pay, as they are the hosts and members of the North Korean delegation are their guests. A restaurant manager in Seoul told the WSJ: "At some point, there is either going to be unification or war, and so paying now is a worthy investment in the positive direction."

Flashback: In September we learned the regime has more than $156,000 in unpaid parking tickets in New York City.

One more thing: Per the Journal, North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung took 1,000 Volvos from Sweden in the 1970s and never paid for them.

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South Korea is footing the bill for North Korean Olympians

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