Inter-Korean cooperation has led to some great results this week in table tennis.
A pair of players from South and North playing together... have won gold in the mixed doubles at the Korea Open in Daejeon.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
The gymnasium was filled with cheers Saturday for the unified Korean table tennis team... that made it to the finals of the Korea Open mixed doubles.
South Korea's Jang Woo-jin and North Korea's Cha Hyo-sim were the only one left among the four pan-Korean pairs competing in the mixed doubles,... the other three having been knocked out early.

It was a tense but thrilling 40-minute final against a team from China.
Winning the second, third, and fourth sets in a row,... the Korean unified team beat the Chinese duo 3 to 1 and took first place.
Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, who was watching,... praised the two Koreans for playing a wonderful game.

"You didn't have enough time to practice together, but despite that, you played so well today. Thank you. I believe the spirit you showed us will contribute to further improving inter-Korean relations."

This is the first time in 27 years for a Korean unified team to win gold in table tennis -- the last time was in women's games at the 1991 world championships in Japan.
South Korea's Jang Woo-jin said it was one of the most memorable matches of his career and expressed his appreciation to his North Korean partner.

"I want to thank Hyo-sim a lot, because, every time I tried to take risks and got nervous, she told me to play just as we'd been doing and stayed very calm. She was really friendly and I depended on her a lot."

He said the South and North Korean players built deep trust in a short period of time,... and added that it'd be great if they could play together again in the future.

"After the game ended, I saw Hyo-sim tear up. I suddenly felt that it's really time to part and that made me feel very sentimental. If there's another opportunity to form a unified team, I'd love to play with Hyo-sim again one day."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in released a congratulatory message, saying the two Koreas had become one again through sports... and that the victory shows how strong the South and North can be... when they work together.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.