'North and South Table Tennis’ Meet Again After 6 Years

South Korea and North Korea's table tennis teams, previously united under the name ‘KOREA’ at the 1991 and 2018 World Championships, have reunited in Paris. In 1991, the women's single team achieved a historic victory by defeating China, the world's strongest team, and reached the semifinals in 2018. Both times, North and South Korean athletes played in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

However, the current encounter ahead of the Paris Olympics had a markedly different tone. Despite being in close proximity, the athletes did not exchange greetings. On the afternoon of the 22nd (local time), South Korean table tennis players, including Shin Yu-bin and Lim Jong-hoon, trained at the South Paris Arena 4 in Paris, France. During their session, North Korean players Pyeon Song-kyung, Kim Geum-young, and Ri Jeong-sik entered the stadium and practiced at the table right next to them. With no players from other countries present, only the South and North Korean players practiced in the shared space.

Both teams focused solely on their own training, showing no signs of friendliness or particular tension. Occasionally, North Korean players observed the play of their South Korean counterparts during the session.


Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com