2018 PyeongChang Olympics begins long journey towards peace on Korean Peninsula
- 5 years ago
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Towards the end of 2017, there were concerns that inter-Korean tensions could jeopardize the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
But instead, the event turned out to be the beginning of a series of sporting exchanges between South and North Korea, and kicked off the long journey towards peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Our Won Jung-hwan looks back at the inter-Korean sporting exchanges that happened this year.
This year saw several firsts in inter-Korean sporting exchanges between the two Koreas, and by the end of the year, inter-Korean teams were starting to become an almost regular occurrence.
When South Korea's Jang Woo-jin and North Korea's Cha Hyo-sim took home the silver medal for mixed doubles table tennis at the World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon in December, it marked the third time that the two had competed together this year as an inter-Korean team.
They also competed together at the Austrian Open in November and they won the Korea Open in July.
The inter-Korean sporting exchanges all began right at the start of the year with the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
The global competition was a historic event for both Koreas.
South and North Korea marched together behind the Korea Unification Flag at the opening ceremony,… marking their first joint march at an international multi-sport event since 2007 in Sydney.
They also assembled a joint team for the first time in history at a global tournament. The combined women's ice hockey squad was hailed as an inspirational symbol of peace in front of a global audience.
Building on that momentum from Pyeongchang, the two Koreas competed as one at the Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in the summer, forming joint teams in rowing, dragon boat racing, and women's basketball.
The two Koreas also agreed to step up this sports cooperation at Tokyo 2020, and they even announced earlier this month that they will meet with the International Olympic Committee early next year to discuss a joint bid the co-host the 2032 Olympics.
The two sides said they will travel to Switzerland next year and hold a three-way meeting with the IOC on their bid to hold the Summer Olympics in 2032,… which would mean cooperation unlike anything we have seen so far.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
Towards the end of 2017, there were concerns that inter-Korean tensions could jeopardize the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
But instead, the event turned out to be the beginning of a series of sporting exchanges between South and North Korea, and kicked off the long journey towards peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Our Won Jung-hwan looks back at the inter-Korean sporting exchanges that happened this year.
This year saw several firsts in inter-Korean sporting exchanges between the two Koreas, and by the end of the year, inter-Korean teams were starting to become an almost regular occurrence.
When South Korea's Jang Woo-jin and North Korea's Cha Hyo-sim took home the silver medal for mixed doubles table tennis at the World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon in December, it marked the third time that the two had competed together this year as an inter-Korean team.
They also competed together at the Austrian Open in November and they won the Korea Open in July.
The inter-Korean sporting exchanges all began right at the start of the year with the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
The global competition was a historic event for both Koreas.
South and North Korea marched together behind the Korea Unification Flag at the opening ceremony,… marking their first joint march at an international multi-sport event since 2007 in Sydney.
They also assembled a joint team for the first time in history at a global tournament. The combined women's ice hockey squad was hailed as an inspirational symbol of peace in front of a global audience.
Building on that momentum from Pyeongchang, the two Koreas competed as one at the Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang in the summer, forming joint teams in rowing, dragon boat racing, and women's basketball.
The two Koreas also agreed to step up this sports cooperation at Tokyo 2020, and they even announced earlier this month that they will meet with the International Olympic Committee early next year to discuss a joint bid the co-host the 2032 Olympics.
The two sides said they will travel to Switzerland next year and hold a three-way meeting with the IOC on their bid to hold the Summer Olympics in 2032,… which would mean cooperation unlike anything we have seen so far.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.