The sporting spectacle kicked off in Pyeongchang yesterday, with 22 athletes from Kim Jong-un‘s reclusive communist state set to compete.
Sportsmen and women from the North and South even marched under a “unified” flag, despite Kim’s provocative missile test angering rival leaders.
But there is still a chance athletes may use the Games to permanently escape the brutal Pyongyang’s regime and set up a new life in South Korea.
Under extreme circumstances, an athlete defecting could be thrown into a Soviet-style work camp and subject to vicious hard labour.
Chris Ogden, an expert in Asian security at the University of St Andrews, told Daily Star Online: “It could be severe punishment for defecting.
“It would depend on the situation I think, but certainly the leaders would not be happy about it.
“If someone did try to defect but they were stopped, they could be sent to a prison camp to do hard labour.”
The hermit kingdom, which has been ruled by Kim since 2011, is plagued by defections to the South on a regular basis.
According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, a total of 1,127 people made the escape in 2017, down from nearly 3,000 in 2,941 in 2009.
Any athletes tempted to defect would also bypass the treacherous journey through the countries’ notoriously dangerous DMZ border.
Mr Ogden added: “It is possible that an athlete might try to disappear in South Korea. It has happened with other countries before.
“I would imagine they would be followed around a lot, and under a lot of scrutiny, it is a slim possibility.
“The repercussions for their family back at home would be quite severe. They would lose any kid of favour, and they would know that before they left.
“But it doesn’t mean it is impossible. The family could be punished in some way, maybe certain privileges they have could be removed.
“They could be taken to a reeducation camp, they could be blamed for the defection.
“So they would be sent off somewhere, where they would be informed in a pressurised way, about what the party believes in and what the country is all about to make sure they subscribe to those beliefs.”