Paris Olympics see rare camaraderie between divided Koreas

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Paris Olympics have brought rare moments of cheer between divided Koreas which are currently witnessing hostile relations.

A joint photo of six young sportspersons from North and South Koreas as well as China has gone viral on social media.

The group took pictures after winning medals in Table Tennis, mixed doubles, in Paris where the Olympics games have been going on since last week.

South Korea’s bronze medalist Jong-hoon Lim is seen clicking a selfie with five others -- Yu-bin Shin of South Korea, Jong Sik Ri and Kum Yong Kim of North Korea, as well Chuqin Wang and Yingsha Sun of China.

"This moment truly embodies the Olympic spirit, uniting through sport," China’s Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Wednesday.

While Jong-hoon won bronze, Chuqin and Yingsha won gold medals.

Jong and Kum of North Korea won silver medals.

The images of camaraderie among the young sportspersons from across the divided Koreas come amid hostile relations between Seoul and Pyongyang.

North and South Koreas are in perpetual war since 1950s when they ended the Korean War in armistice.

In recent months, the two sides have engaged in heightened rival military activities.

While the South has embraced the US and Japan tightly, the North has pushed up its ties with Russia, after it signed a military pact that encourages each other to extend help in case of aggression by any third party.

The bilateral relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have touched new lows with two sides ending almost all connections and pacts.