15년만의 통일농구경기 개최... 코트 위에서 하나된 남북 농구선수들…가슴엔 '평화•번영'

South and North Korea have used sports... from table tennis to ice hockey... to improve their relations and create a feeling of unity.
This time it's with basketball.
The two Koreas are playing each other today in two friendly games in Pyongyang, the first of which began just about an hour ago.
Won Jung-hwan tells us more.
It's day two of the Unification Basketball Games in Pyongyang.
On Thursday, South and North Korea are competing against each other -- unlike Wednesday, when the teams were a mix of South and North Korean players.
But the South and North Korean teams are not labeled as "South" or "North."
They're distinguished by color only -- one in red and the other in blue.
No national flags or anthems are being used either.

The first games on Wednesday at Pyongyang's Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium... drew some 12-thousand spectators.

Those teams were made up of players from both sides of the border.
One was named "Peace" and wore white,... while the other was named "Prosperity" and wore green.
In the women's game,… Prosperity won 103-to-102.
Despite the loss, North Korean player Ri Jung-ok, who scored 28 points for the team Peace, expressed her excitement after the game.


"I am delighted to have participated in the Inter-Korean basketball tournament organized by high-level officials from North and South Korea. The cheers from spectators were a big boost as well,... and I feel that by passing the ball to each other during the game, we have become one.

The men's game ended in a draw, with both teams scoring 102 points.
The coach of South Korea's national men's team, who led team Peace, was at the same arena as a player... 15 years ago.
The latest games, he says, have left a big impression on him.


"I feel proud of seeing our players getting along well with the North Korean players. I think today's game will stay with me forever."
"At first, they played casually and gave each other some room. But when the score tightened up, it was really nice to see them getting into it. I'll have a lot of memories from this game."

Despite speculation that he would come, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un -- who's known for his love of basketball -- did not attend Wednesday's games, and it's not expected that he'll be at Thursdays either because his schedule is taking him away from Pyongyang.
But it's been two days full of harmony and reconciliation between the two Koreas -- players from South and North on the same teams... and in friendly competition.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.