North-South Korea Olympic podium selfie goes viral

Images of North and South Korean Olympic table tennis players taking a selfie together on the medal podium in Paris have gone viral in South Korea. The snapshot was taken after South Korea won bronze and North Korea silver in the mixed doubles event, with Lim Jong-hoon of South Korea capturing the moment on a Samsung phone.

North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, South Korea's Shin Yu-bin, and the victorious Chinese team, Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, all posed together for the photo. This was the first time North Korea had been on an Olympic podium since 2016, as they did not send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics due to the Covid pandemic.

"A selfie with both Koreas' national flags and a Samsung phone," stated the widely read daily JongAng Ilbo.



Lim Jong-hoon shared that he congratulated the North Korean duo when they were introduced as Silver medallists following the award ceremony. South Korean broadcasters have replayed the video of the selfie multiple times, discussing its importance and symbolizing a fleeting moment of unity between the two Koreas.

"I congratulated them when they were introduced as Silver medallists," said Lim in an interview with Korean media.

"This is the true spirit of the Olympics," one commentator remarked.

Tensions between the two Koreas are high, especially after North Korea declared the South its principal enemy earlier this year. Despite these tensions, the selfie has resonated deeply in South Korea, representing a brief but meaningful instance of camaraderie amidst political strife.

With AFP Inputs