North and South Korean gymnasts pose for selfie together at Rio 2016 Olympics

A SELFIE of two gymnasts whose nations are sworn enemies has melted hearts, with one saying this is what the Games are about.

Their countries are at war but these two gymnasts have captured the Olympic spirit with a selfie. Picture: Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP

THEIR countries may be at war, but gymnasts from North and South Korea have shown a rare moment of unity in the form of a selfie at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

South Korean gymnast Lee Eun-ju, 17, and her North Korean counterpart Hong Un-jong, 27, paused to snap a smiling picture together during a training period in Brazil.

The moment was captured by another photographer and tweeted by political scientist Ian Bremmer who said, “This is why we do the Olympics” about the display between citizens of the two countries that are technically at war.

His tweet has been retweeted and liked more than 21,000 times.

Gymnasts from North & South Korea take a selfie together. This is why we do the Olympics. pic.twitter.com/Id44OuehN3

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) August 5, 2016

North Korea has raised international tensions recently with nuclear testing and a barrage of missile launches that have reached into Japanese waters for the first time.

Pyongyang has also accused the US of “bluffing that they can mount a pre-emptive strike” on the country. It has repeatedly warned it would launch strikes against South Korea and the US.

But that tension could not be felt in the Rio training hall where the two competitors smiled for crowds. See the pictures below.

Interactions such as this one are not strictly illegal in South Korea, but they are complicated by the Koreas’ long history of animosity and bloodshed. Picture: Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP

It’s the first Olympic Games for South Korea's Lee Eun-ju, left, pictured talking with her North Korean rival. Picture: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky.

A picture of the young athletes has been tweeted thousands of times. Picture: AP/Dmitri Lovetsky.

Originally published as North and South Korean gymnasts pose for selfie together at Rio 2016 Olympics