hankyoreh

By Nam Ji-eun, staff reporter in Rio de Janeiro

“Wow, you had your hair cut. You look really nice. It looks like you’ve got a new boyfriend!” “No, I don’t!” The two chatting women, who are from North and South Korea, burst into laughter.

Women from North and South Korea got along famously at the 2013 World Judo Championships, which concluded on Sep. 2 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here, there was no evidence of the battle of nerves depicted in the early part of “As One,” a 2012 movie about North and South Korean table tennis players. When the judokas met at the championship, they greeted each other warmly, and they also offered congratulations and consolation as the occasion called for.

Compared to most other kinds of sports, there is an especially strong affinity between North and South Korean judokas. They have been building these ties since the 1990s.

“The judokas get to know each other during the three or four European tournaments they take part in that are generally held in February and March of each year,” a coach with the South Korean national team said on condition of anonymity.

Both North and South Korean teams competed in tournaments earlier this year in France from Feb. 9 to 10, in Austria from Feb. 16 to 17, and in Germany from Feb. 23 to 24.

In their uniforms, the players are peers who learn from each other’s strengths.

North Korean judoka Sol Kyong, who won the gold medal in the 78kg category on Aug. 31, also won a gold using a shoulder throw in the 2012 Judo World Cup in Warsaw, Poland. At the World Cup, Sol Kyong told someone on the South Korean national team that she had practiced techniques used by Choi Min-ho - currently the coach of the South Korean men’s team - in the Beijing Olympics. Seo Jeong-bok, coach of the South Korean women’s team, described the North Korean judo style as “aggressive.”

Out of their uniforms, the players are very friendly. They are curious about each other and have a lot to talk about.

“At first, it was a little awkward to approach them, but we feel comfortable now,” said one female judoka on condition of anonymity. The players open up as they learn about each other. They ask their counterparts questions like how they watch games at home when they aren’t on TV and whether they go overseas to train.

As long as they aren’t pitted against each other, the players are of one mind. They watch each other’s games, cheer for each other and cheer up each other.

When North Korean 48kg female judoka Kim Sol-mi was defeated on Aug. 26, South Korean judokas talked about the match and how it was unfortunate how it had turned out. When Sol Kyong won the gold medal on Aug. 31, the South Korean team was there to congratulate her. And when South Korea got a bronze medal on the same day, the coach of the North Korean women’s team expressed his condolences, saying that he wished they had both got gold medals.

The North Korean team completed all of its matches on Sep. 1. When they were about to depart, the South Korean judokas rushed out after them to take pictures and plan their next meeting.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]