Joint Olympic team makes history for two Koreas

Most South Korean fans were fixated on the ice hockey, where the combined North and South women’s team appeared at a packed Kwandong Hockey Centre.

Published : Feb 10, 2018 20:43 IST , Gangneung (South Korea)

 Korean players during the third period of their preliminary round of the women's ice hockey game against Switzerland at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Korean players during the third period of their preliminary round of the women's ice hockey game against Switzerland at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
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Korean players during the third period of their preliminary round of the women's ice hockey game against Switzerland at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

North and South Korea competed together for the first time at an Olympics on Saturday as the first of 102 gold medals were decided against a fast-moving backdrop of diplomatic manoeuvring.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was among a high-level delegation in the stands as the joint Korean women’s ice hockey team took on Switzerland in their opening match.

The Games have triggered rapid reconciliation between the two Koreas, who are still technically at war. In talks on Saturday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was invited to a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

There was joy for South Korea when short-track speed skater Lim Hyo-jun won the first gold for hosts on day one, claiming the men’s 1500m in front of a near-capacity crowd.

Most South Korean fans were fixated on the ice hockey, where the combined North and South women’s team appeared at a packed Kwandong Hockey Centre.

The two Koreas marched together at Friday’s opening ceremony but they have never before competed side-by-side at an Olympics.

Among the crowd was a large number of North Korea’s all- female “Army of Beauties” cheer squad, known for their tightly choreographed moves and chants.

At a Games rife with political overtones, US Vice- President Mike Pence was watching nearby as the first North Korean athlete competed — and flopped.

North Korean cheerleaders let rip in support for Choe Un Song but he was eliminated in the heats for the 1,500m short- track speed skating, failing to reach the semi-finals.

  • The two Koreas marched together at Friday’s opening ceremony but they have never before competed side-by-side at an Olympics.
  • Among the crowd was a large number of North Korea’s all- female “Army of Beauties” cheer squad, known for their tightly choreographed moves and chants.
  • North Korean cheerleaders let rip in support for Choe Un Song but he was eliminated in the heats for the 1,500m short- track speed skating, failing to reach the semifinals.

- Internet shutdown -

Elsewhere, organisers probed a mysterious shutdown of the Games’ internal internet and wifi, which follows warnings of cyberattacks.

Internal internet and wifi systems crashed at about 7:15 pm yesterday and were still not back to normal at midday on Saturday, Games organisers said.

The outage follows warnings of malware phishing attacks targeting organisations working at the Olympics, and allegations of cyberattacks from Russia — which has denied any involvement.

“We don’t want to speculate because we’re still trying to find out what the root source is,” said Nancy Park, a spokeswoman for the Games organisers.

The shutdown started just before Friday’s opening ceremony, where Moon twice shook the hand of Kim Yo Jong, the first member of North Korea’s ruling dynasty to venture south since the 1950-53 Korean War.

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