Inter-Korea team wins mixed doubles at Korea Open

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03:05

A joint table-tennis team from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) won the mixed doubles final at the Korea Open on Saturday, claiming the first gold in the latest installment of sporting diplomacy on the peninsula.

Jang Woo-jin, a male player from the ROK, and Cha Hyo Sim, a female player from the DPRK, defeated China 3-1 at the mixed doubles final at the international tournament held in the city of Daejeon.

It was the first gold medal won by an inter-Korean sports team in nearly three decades, after a women’s joint table-tennis team scored a shock victory over reigning champion China in the world championship in Japan in 1991.

Cha Hyo Sim (female) and Jang Woo-jin (male) playing together /VCG Photo

The Chinese pair Wang Chuqin and Sun Yinsha won the first set 11-5 before the Korean team thrashed them 11-3, 11-4 and 11-8 in consecutive sets as some ROK fans chanted in unison “We are one!”

“I really wanted to win this game…and the cheers from the crowd gave me goosebumps,” Jang told reporters after the game. “I saw Hyo Sim crying during the ceremony and it broke my heart that we have to say goodbye soon,” he said.

The DPRK’s decision to participate in the Winter Olympics in the ROK in February, 2017 triggered an ongoing rapprochement between the two sides.

Cha Hyo Sim (female) and Jang Woo-jin (male) waving to cheers from the audience /VCG Photo

Athletes from the two countries marched together behind a unification flag at the Games’ opening ceremony, while ROK President Moon Jae-in seized the opportunity to broker talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

Moon also held a summit with the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in April, during which the two men vowed to strengthen cooperation in sports.

The two sides have often used sports to break ice on the volatile relations – by forming joint teams for international competitions from soccer to ice hockey.

Cha Hyo Sim (female) and Jang Woo-jin (male) taking pictures together /VCG Photo

Eight female and eight male table-tennis players from the DPRK, including Kim Song I – a bronze medalist at women’s singles at the 2016 Rio Summer Games – competed in the Korea Open, some jointly with Seoul’s players.

Four joint teams – men’s and women’s doubles as well as two mixed doubles – were formed. The men’s doubles team won bronze on Friday.

The two countries also recently announced they would field joint teams in three sports – canoeing, rowing and women’s basketball – at next month’s Asian Games to be held in Indonesia.

Source(s): AFP