1 of 4 | The mixed doubles table tennis teams from North Korea and South Korea joined gold medalists China on the podium Tuesday for a selfie, a rare moment of contact between the divided countries. Photo by Yonhap
July 31 (UPI) -- While the mixed doubles table tennis gold medal match was filled with thrilling action Tuesday, what followed afterward became one of the more memorable moments at the Paris Olympics: a podium selfie that included silver medalists North Korea and bronze medalists South Korea.
The iconic scene came after the top-seeded Chinese team of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha won gold over the underdog North Koreans, Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, by a score of 4-2 (11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8) at South Paris Arena 4.
South Korean Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin captured the bronze medal earlier Tuesday by defeating the team from Hong Kong 4-0.
After the medal ceremony, the three teams huddled for a series of selfies taken by South Korea's Lim, who used a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 phone. (The South Korean smartphone giant is supplying winners at the Paris Games with the new phone to take a "Victory Selfie" on the podium.)
The rare moment of goodwill comes as inter-Korean relations are mired at their lowest point in years amid trash-filled balloons, loudspeaker propaganda blasts and a steady stream of weapons tests and military drills. The divided neighbors have remained technically at war for more than 70 years.
Images of the selfie session quickly spread around South Korean news sites and social media, but interaction between the North and South athletes remained limited.
"There was no [conversation] other than saying congratulations when I met the silver medalists and shaking hands," Lim told reporters.
As of Wednesday afternoon local time, North Korea's state-run media had not reported on the result.
Tuesday's silver medal capped a Cinderella run for the North Korean table tennis team, which entered the tournament seeded last among the 16 participants. In the opening round, the team scored a stunning upset over world No. 2 Japan.
The medal was North Korea's first since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The isolated nation withdrew from Tokyo 2020 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and was subsequently barred from participating in Beijing 2022 by the International Olympic Committee.
Relations were at a high point between the two Koreas during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games, which helped spark a period of diplomacy and detente. Both countries marched into the opening ceremony under a unified Korean flag and even fielded a joint women's hockey team with players from both countries.
The podium selfie was not the first time North and South have made news at the Paris Games.
During the opening ceremony Friday, the South Korean team was mistakenly introduced as hailing from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- the official name of North Korea -- sparking an outcry from Seoul.
IOC President Thomas Bach apologized to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the gaffe, which he blamed on human error.
North Korea has sent a 16-person squad to Paris, with athletes also competing in wrestling, judo, diving, boxing and track and field. South Korea has gotten off to a strong start to the Games, picking up five gold medals and 11 overall through the first four days of action.
