The Olympics is an event bringing together countries from across the world to compete in one sporting event. Yet, it doesn’t always mean that politics and tensions go away, but athletes from South Korea and North Korea proved it can during a recent event.
On July 30, the countries competed in the mixed doubles table tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The results showed that South Korea won bronze, North Korea won silver, and China won gold in the event.
Despite the tensions between the countries, the athletes showed sportsmanship and professionalism by congratulating each other.
Netizens were even more shocked after South Korea’s Lim Jong Hoon took a group selfie after the medal ceremony with teammate Shin Yu Bin, North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, and the Chinese team of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha.
The photos showed three teams together in a photo that many wouldn’t believe could happen, especially with heightened tensions between North and South Korea.
The photos and videos quickly went viral and on one TikTok…
@samanshark721 We can’t have every day but at least today Chinese, South Korean and North Korean medalists are taking a nice selfies#olympics #tabletennis #korea #wangchuqin #sunyingsha
♬ Little Things – Adrian Berenguer
Netizens became extremely emotional at seeing the interactions and believed that it perfectly embraced the message of the Olympics wanting to bring together nations despite any differences.
