Photos of North and South Korean table tennis players posing for a selfie on the medal podium have captured global attention, with many viewing it as a rare display of cross-border harmony.
The moment occurred after South Korea won bronze and North Korea secured silver in the mixed doubles event. South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon marked the occasion by taking out a phone to snap a picture.
This gesture holds significance due to the ongoing technical state of war between the two Koreas. The Korean War concluded in 1953 with an armistice, and a formal peace treaty has never been signed.
Recent tensions in the Korean Peninsula were exacerbated by North Korea sending thousands of balloons filled with garbage to South Korea, some of which landed near the presidential compound in Seoul.
Notably, the Tokyo Olympics have already witnessed some controversy involving the two Koreas. Organizers issued a formal apology to South Korea for a 'human error' during the opening ceremony, where South Korean athletes were mistakenly introduced as being from North Korea. The mistake occurred as the South Korean athletes were being presented on a boat along the River Seine, with both French and English announcements incorrectly identifying them as hailing from the “People’s Democratic Republic of Korea,” the official name of North Korea. South Korea is officially known as the “Republic of Korea.”
