While the rest of the “army of beauties” sat stoney faced as Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim took to the ice, one of the women seemed to clap during the performance.
But the lapse in discipline earned her a jab in the ribs from the cheerleader next to her.
The girl clapping seemed bewildered, but dropped her hands to her lap as the second cheerleader muttered under her breath, in footage shown on Japanese TV.
The cheerleaders were flanked by minders as they turned out to support and cheer in perfectly synchronised applause for the nation’s figure skating duo Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sok.
The skaters were the only North Koreans to qualify for the Games, finishing 13th out of 16 pairs.
The other North Korean athletes are competing as wild cards, part of a diplomatic effort from South Korea.
The cheerleading squad has caused a stir in Pyeongchang since arriving at the Games. North Korea’s cheerleading squad makes up nearly half its 500-member party at the Olympics, vastly outnumbering the 22 athletes.
They are made up of women in their 20s, handpicked from universities and nationalist groups.
Extensive background checks are carried out on the women to ensure they have the right ideology and are not related to any defectors of regime critics.
Previous members of the troupe include Ri Sol-ju, now the wife of dictator Kim Jong-un. The young women are flanked by sinister masked guards at all times.
They are reportedly members of an elite unit back in north Korea.
It was revealed today a shattering £160,507 was spent on accommodation, transport and food for Kim Jong-un’s sister and the North Korean diplomatic entourage when they visited the South for a three-day visit during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
The extortionate figure was reportedly confirmed by an anonymous official at South Korea’s Ministry of Unification.
A large portion of the money, £75,000, was splashed out on accommodation at a five-star riverside hotel, called the Walkerhill Hotel, in eastern Seoul.
It has also been reported that Kim Yo-Jong is pregnant, and the hermit state is preparing for a high-profile new arrival.
Kim Yo-Jong told South Korean officials she was expecting a child after she experienced “discomfort” during the trip south.
She is believed to have already given birth once in 2015 although no photos of the child – Kim Jong-un’s nephew or niece – have ever been shared.