It was the largest party ever held in South Korea, and almost all the invited guests came. More importantly, there were no gate-crashers from North Korea. Now that all the athletes and international spectators have left, and the thousands of security officers have relaxed, as have Korean officials worldwide and many among the populace as well, a period of post-party depression would not be unnatural for the hosts of such a spectacular bash. Following the buildup of tension over years, compounded by perhaps equal parts of pride, sweat, and apprehension, the Olympic organizers can look back on a job remarkable for its precision, management, beauty, and skill. The comprehensiveness of the organization and execution of the Olympics and their preparation, no matter how competent to the initial observer, is perhaps best understood by those who have watched Korea over long periods. Although similar in scope and detail to Korea's management of its export drive or rural development program, the organizers' work was condensed into comprehensible time and circumscribed space.
Now comes the time for assessing the longer-term impact of this event both within Korea and abroad, as well as for considering what will happen in Korea in the post-Olympic period.
For most foreigners, Korea was essentially unknown. Although Korean products were ubiquitous in many parts of the world and Korean automobiles have had an impact on the American market and psyche, it is different from the palpable and visually direct impression that the events made on spectators in Seoul and on the television viewers. Korea was for most a visual surprise, a delight, and a wonderment.
For the Koreans, hosting the Olympics was a rite of passage, a coming-of-age on the international scene as important emotionally as for its implications in international affairs. It was vital for them that this event be successful; indeed, the very political future of the government probably rested on the Games' meeting international expectations. The Koreans expect perfection—and compliance. Hence, if U.S. television was perhaps sometimes insensitive or inept, and if the seamier side of Korea was occasionally present, those flaws, in international eyes, were minor issues.
The stigma of the Japanese colonial period, the horror and deprivation of the Korean War, the hunger and poverty that were pervasive in the early 1950s, even the validation of a culture that, to many eyes, was usually in the shadow of China or Japan, were all erased for the Koreans. More important to them the $3 billion that was invested in these events was the nation's psychic treasure, which was held hostage to the event's successful completion. The Games won vindication for Korea as a culture.
For visitors, especially for the Americans, gone were some unpleasant memories, and receding into background was the ubiquitous influence of M*A*S*H, probably America's primary, though inaccurate and inadequate, source of impressions of Korea.
There is little doubt that anticipation about the Olympics put normal political life on hold in Korea. The government became more muted in its positions, the opposition groups more conciliatory in their criticisms. In spite of a few sporadic student demonstrations, some anti-American and some devoted to reconciliation with North Korea, even this most critical group opposed to many
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