Considering the 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea, it's no surprise that certain concessions will be made in the nations' favor.
One such concession was handed down today, as it was announced by the International Ice Hockey Federation, or the IIHF, that both South Korea's men's and women's hockey teams would be granted automatic entry into the 2018 Olympics.
"After careful deliberation and discussions with the IOC and the Korea Ice Hockey Association (KIHA), we have decided to grant an automatic qualification to the men's and women's national teams for PyeongChang 2018," IIHF President René Fasel said.
The decision came, in part, due to the fact that South Korea and the KIHA have showed a determination to increase the skill level and international viability of their hockey programs.
During the 2014 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress, the KIHA presented a four-year, comprehensive plan to increase and oversee the development of the nation's hockey squads, with a $20 million (U.S.) investment pledged.
"The IIHF is confident that, given the sizeable investment into the men's and women's programs, along with the changes in the KIHA's structure and operations, Korea should have a chance to show the world it is capable of competing at the highest level of international hockey," said Fasel.
They also outlined plans to increase the number of games, domestic and international, for the national team, as well as an intensified focus on an exchange program for their players with top hockey organizations around the world.
"Korean hockey has been working for a long time for this opportunity, and to have this presented to us today is overwhelming," said Korean men's national team head coach Jim Paek. "I don't want to make any promises but as long as we focus on the process every day to get better I think we'll be very competitive and hopefully we'll represent the country well."
Paek, a former NHL player, is one of the reasons there is optimism among Koreans, as well as the IIHF, that the country can improve its team's outlook. Paek played in the NHL from 1990 to 1995, and is the first Korean-born player both to play in the NHL and to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup, after winning two with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While never a world-beater as a player, Paek has an abundance of experience and his familiarity with success as a two-time Stanley Cup winner will hopefully help the South Korean squads to compete well in the 2018 games and moving forward.
"This is a winning situation for Korean hockey. I believe that when you have success people will gather to that and gain interest in the game, and to be a part of these Olympics is a big motivation for us."
