North and South Korean athletes take history-making selfie together at the Olympics
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Zhao Wenyu/China News Service/VCG / WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images
One picture from the 2024 Paris Olympics has moved people all around the world as it managed to show how conflicting nations can somehow find unity.
The Olympics is meant to be a great time for the nations of the world to come together in compete on the biggest stage for one of the biggest honors in their respective sports.
Occasionally people forget that, but thankfully one picture is going viral on social media and highlighting the spirit of international cooperation and good fun.
If you were to list the first two countries that would hug it out and smile for a picture together on the podium, I’d wager a North Korean athlete and a South Korean would be far down your list.
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But it seems the world was privileged enough to see this historic moment after the mixed table tennis doubles:
China’s team took away the gold medal, with North Korea coming in second with silver and South Korea third with bronze.
On the podium, North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, South's Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all smiled for a selfie.
This is quite the moment since earlier this year, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un declared South its principal enemy and would no longer seek peaceful reunification.
On Twitter, people have highlighted just how monumental a moment this is.
One user wrote: “These might just be the most significant photos from the @Paris2024 Olympics.
“North & South Korea coming together, with China, for a group selfie after the table tennis mixed doubles finals. A praiseworthy moment of sportsmanship, friendship & peace!
“What a fantastic gesture from North Korea athletes: before receiving silver medal, they step down from the podium and go round to salute expressively the South Korea athletes who got bronze medal,” another wrote about their overall attitude towards each other.
“This is the Olympics, this is the Olympic spirit. I hope the young people enjoy it,” a third wrote.
“This is why the Olympic are so important. It warms my heart. I would love to see this selfie,” another commented.
The Olympics allows interactions between North and South Koreans as both nations, who are technically still at war with one another.
In recent months, tensions have still been high between the two nations.
In what seems to be quite the petty act, North Korea has dropped at least 260 balloons carrying rubbish in the South.
Let’s hope small moments like this can help quell the bad blood between the two nations.