hankyoreh

South and North Korean athletes marched together at the opening ceremony of the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, on Friday as Asia geared up for its greatest sporting event.

The two Koreas entered the 50,000-seat Khalifa Stadium under the single country name of "Korea" and flying the blue and white "unification flag," symbolizing unity and the Korean Peninsula.

The two countries fielded 270 athletes for the tournament following one of the most elaborate opening ceremonies ever choreographed for an international sporting event.

Athletes from the two Koreas have marched together during the opening and closing ceremonies of international sporting events eight times since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Talks that took place earlier in the week to field a joint team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics were stalled over the selection of athletes. The South has insisted on the need for the best athletes to be selected, while North Korea insists on an equal number of athletes.

The Korean Olympic Committee said progress had been stalled, yet said it will continue to talk to its northern counterpart on this issue to find a acceptable compromise.

In other developments on a day with no competitive events, South Korea's football and baseball teams, which have not performed to expectations, said they will go all-out to secure solid victories in the next matches. The baseball team, beaten 4-2 by Taiwan, takes on Japan, while the soccer squad that overpowered the weak Bangladesh team 3-0 confronts Vietnam.

South Korea aims to finish second in the gold medal count this year with 70-75 gold medals. The football team is gunning to win gold, while the baseball team also wants to secure the Asian title.

Meanwhile, the host country for this year's Asiad organized a opening ceremony that arguably exceeds all others in grandeur and scale.

The ceremony, using the latest high-technology to underscore the ancient and diverse traditions of Asia, reflected the host country's ambitions to merge the past with the future.

The 150-minute-long event highlighted the richness of Arabian and Asian cultures and the universal hope for a bright future.

This year's game is the largest in history, with 12,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries taking part in 39 competitions.

Doha, Dec. 1 (Yonhap News)