North, South Korean athletes pose for selfie in ‘true spirit of the Olympics’

A rare piece of history has been captured at the Olympics, with athletes from two enemy states taking a bold selfie on the podium.

Bronze medalists South Korea's Lim Jonghoon (R) takes a selfie picture with his mobile as he celebrates on the podium with : gold medalists China's Wang Chuqin (rear 2nd L) and China's Sun Yingsha (front 2nd L), silver medalists North Korea's Ri Jong Sik (L), and North Korea's Kim Kum Yong (front 2nd L) and bronze medallist and teammate South Korea's Shin Yubin (2nd R) at the end of their mixed table tennis doubles competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the South Paris Arena in Paris on July 30, 2024. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

Athletes from North and South Korea have perfectly summed up what the Olympics are all about, posing for a selfie together on the podium in a rare display of unity between the two nations.

Tensions between the two countries are at some of their highest in years, with Kim Jong-un ramping up his nuclear weapons arsenal and launching unsanctioned missile tests.

But all that posturing is clearly for the political class. If this photo is anything to go by, it appears relations are going swimmingly, even with the North pipping the South on the table tennis podium.

South Korea won bronze and North Korea silver in the mixed doubles behind China. After everyone got their hardware, South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon whipped out their phone took a group photo.

North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South’s Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha could all be seen smiling.

“I congratulated them when they were introduced as silver medallists,” Lim told Korean media after the award ceremony.

South Korean broadcasters have been showing the photo throughout the day, applauding the athletes for showing the world how to behave.

“A selfie with both Koreas’ national flags and a Samsung phone,” wrote South Korean newspaper JongAng Ilbo.

“This is the true spirit of the Olympics,” another commentator said.

Athletes from North and South Korea have perfectly summed up what the Olympics are all about, posing for a selfie together on the podium in a rare display of unity between the two nations.

North Korea’s Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South’s Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha could all be seen smiling.

North Korea’s Olympic journey has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Their appearance at the Games has always sparked intrigue from viewers. While the nation remains largely detached, Kim Jong-un sends a delegation of athletes every four years to show they’re keeping up with the rest of the world.

Their absence from the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns came with a temporary ban by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, this ban was lifted as of December 31, 2022, paving the way for their return to the global stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

A historic photo.

Back in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, North Korea made a dramatic and politically charged appearance.

The event saw a high-level delegation from the North and joint activities with the South, including a poignant moment when athletes from both Koreas marched together under a unified flag during the opening ceremony.

However, that gesture of unity was met with scepticism from the South Korean public and the international community.

The North has clinched a total of 56 medals in the Summer Games, mostly in sports like weightlifting, wrestling, gymnastics, and boxing.

Originally published as North, South Korean athletes pose for selfie in ‘true spirit of the Olympics’