The Paris Olympics 2024 has witnessed plenty of controversies right from the opening week, with the organisers trying hard to get out of hot waters. From expelling journalists to wrongly announcing country names, headlines have been made for all the wrong reasons. However, Tuesday (July 30) saw a different side of the coin when arch&nbsp;international rivals North Korea and South Korea showed a glimpse of rare unity at the Paris Games.

<h2>North, South Korea come together on podium</h2>

On Tuesday, after South Korea won bronze and North Korea the silver in the mixed doubles of table tennis behind China, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon took a group photo after the medal ceremony. The photograph featured North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South's Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all beamed into Lim's phone, a South Korean-made Samsung.

The rare occasion of both countries sharing the podium surprised many international fans, considering both nations are arch enemies and have poor diplomatic relations. The strained relationship goes back to the 1950s, when the two nations went to war.

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Nuclear-armed North Korea declared the South its principal enemy earlier this year, and tensions between the two countries are at one of their highest points in years.

Recently, North Korea sent trash balloons to South Korean territory, highlighting the bad blood between the nations.

However, Tuesday saw a rare scene where athletes from the rival nations were seen sharing the podium. The medal for North Korea was also its first since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, having opted to pull out of the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to COVID-19.

"I congratulated them when they were introduced as silver medallists," Lim told Korean media after the award ceremony.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Paris Olympics 2024 has witnessed plenty of controversies right from the opening week, with the organisers trying hard to get out of hot waters. From expelling journalists to wrongly announcing country names, headlines have been made for all the wrong reasons.

The Paris Olympics 2024 has witnessed plenty of controversies right from the opening week, with the organisers trying hard to get out of hot waters. From expelling journalists to wrongly announcing country names, headlines have been made for all the wrong reasons. However, Tuesday (July 30) saw a different side of the coin when arch international rivals North Korea and South Korea showed a glimpse of rare unity at the Paris Games. North, South Korea come together on podium On Tuesday, after South Korea won bronze and North Korea the silver in the mixed doubles of table tennis behind China, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon took a group photo after the medal ceremony. The photograph featured North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong, the South's Shin Yu-bin and the victorious Chinese team Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha all beamed into Lim's phone, a South Korean-made Samsung. The rare occasion of both countries sharing the podium surprised many international fans, considering both nations are arch enemies and have poor diplomatic relations. The strained relationship goes back to the 1950s, when the two nations went to war. ALSO READ | Paris Olympics: Brazilian surfer's MINDBOGGLING image goes VIRAL, photographer HAILED for brilliant capture Nuclear-armed North Korea declared the South its principal enemy earlier this year, and tensions between the two countries are at one of their highest points in years. Recently, North Korea sent trash balloons to South Korean territory, highlighting the bad blood between the nations. However, Tuesday saw a rare scene where athletes from the rival nations were seen sharing the podium. The medal for North Korea was also its first since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, having opted to pull out of the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to COVID-19. "I congratulated them when they were introduced as silver medallists," Lim told Korean media after the award ceremony. (With inputs from agencies)

Paris Olympics 2024: North, South Korean athletes go viral for sharing selfie after medal ceremony

North Korea will not attend this year's Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pyongyang's sports ministry said, blowing the final whistle on Seoul's hopes of using the Games to restart talks with its nuclear-armed neighbour.

The isolated North's participation in the last Winter Games, hosted by the South in Pyeongchang, was a key catalyst in the diplomatic rapprochement of 2018.

Leader Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong attended as his envoy in a blaze of publicity, and the South's President Moon Jae-in seized the opportunity to broker talks between Pyongyang and Washington that led to a series of high-profile meetings between Kim and then US president Donald Trump.

But Pyongyang's announcement puts an end to Seoul's hopes of using the postponed Tokyo Games, due to begin in July, to kick off a reset in the now deadlocked talks process.

North Korea's&nbsp;Olympic Committee "decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games in order to protect players from the world public health crisis caused by Covid-19", said the Sports in the DPR Korea website, run by the sports ministry in Pyongyang.

But analysts said other factors may have been at play.

The announcement -- dated Monday -- reported a meeting of the national Olympic committee on March 25.

The North's official KCNA news agency had previously carried a dispatch on the committee meeting, without mentioning the Olympic decision.

Pyongyang is more isolated than ever after imposing a strict border closure more than a year ago in an effort to protect itself from the virus that first emerged in neighbouring China and went on to sweep the world.

The North insists it has had no coronavirus cases, although experts doubt the assertion, but the lockdown has exacerbated the economic pain from multiple international sanctions over its banned weapons programmes.&nbsp;

The new US administration of Joe Biden is in the final stages of a review of North Korea policy, with officials widely expected to support a resumption of lower-level talks rather than high-stakes, high-drama summits.

On the campaign trail Biden characterised Kim as a "thug" and has sharply criticised Trump's meetings, saying he legitimised one of the world's most ruthless leaders, but has also said he is open to diplomacy.

Biden has also warned North Korea of consequences for violations of UN Security Council resolutions after Pyongyang recently tested what US officials judged to be ballistic missiles.

<h2>- 'Shameless distortion' -</h2>

Inter-Korean relations are also at a standstill, with the North repeatedly saying it has no interest in talking to Seoul, and last year blowing up a liaison office on its side of the border.

Even so Moon in his Independence Day speech on March 1 said: "This year's Tokyo Olympics could be an opportunity for dialogues between South Korea and Japan, the North and the South, North Korea and Japan, and North Korea and the US."

The day commemorates mass protests that took place in 1919 across the Korean peninsula against Tokyo's colonial rule.

Seoul's unification ministry said it was "sorry that the Covid situation" had prevented the Games from serving as "an opportunity to advance peace on the Korean peninsula".

Japan's chief government spokesman&nbsp;Katsunobu Kato said it was monitoring the reports and authorities were seeking to improve the environment, "including infection countermeasures, so that many countries and regions can participate in the Tokyo Games".

Analysts said the virus may not be the only reason behind Pyongyang's decision.&nbsp;

"Pyongyang seems to be protesting against Japan's policies on North Korea, as sensitive issues such as human rights and sanctions have been raised by Tokyo, along with the US," Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

The North regularly excoriates Olympic host nation Japan over its brutal 20th-century annexation, with KCNA carrying a report Sunday condemning new Japanese history textbooks as "persistent and shameless distortion of history".

Tokyo regularly demands resolution of the issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by the North, although Pyongyang insists it has returned all those it seized who are still alive.

North Korea will not attend this year's Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pyongyang's sports ministry said, blowing the final whistle on Seoul's hopes of using the Games to restart talks with its nuclear-armed neighbour.

North Korea will not attend this year's Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pyongyang's sports ministry said, blowing the final whistle on Seoul's hopes of using the Games to restart talks with its nuclear-armed neighbour. The isolated North's participation in the last Winter Games, hosted by the South in Pyeongchang, was a key catalyst in the diplomatic rapprochement of 2018. Leader Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong attended as his envoy in a blaze of publicity, and the South's President Moon Jae-in seized the opportunity to broker talks between Pyongyang and Washington that led to a series of high-profile meetings between Kim and then US president Donald Trump. But Pyongyang's announcement puts an end to Seoul's hopes of using the postponed Tokyo Games, due to begin in July, to kick off a reset in the now deadlocked talks process. North Korea's Olympic Committee "decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games in order to protect players from the world public health crisis caused by Covid-19", said the Sports in the DPR Korea website, run by the sports ministry in Pyongyang. But analysts said other factors may have been at play. The announcement -- dated Monday -- reported a meeting of the national Olympic committee on March 25. The North's official KCNA news agency had previously carried a dispatch on the committee meeting, without mentioning the Olympic decision. Pyongyang is more isolated than ever after imposing a strict border closure more than a year ago in an effort to protect itself from the virus that first emerged in neighbouring China and went on to sweep the world. The North insists it has had no coronavirus cases, although experts doubt the assertion, but the lockdown has exacerbated the economic pain from multiple international sanctions over its banned weapons programmes. The new US administration of Joe Biden is in the final stages of a review of North Korea policy, with officials widely expected to support a resumption of lower-level talks rather than high-stakes, high-drama summits. On the campaign trail Biden characterised Kim as a "thug" and has sharply criticised Trump's meetings, saying he legitimised one of the world's most ruthless leaders, but has also said he is open to diplomacy. Biden has also warned North Korea of consequences for violations of UN Security Council resolutions after Pyongyang recently tested what US officials judged to be ballistic missiles. - 'Shameless distortion' - Inter-Korean relations are also at a standstill, with the North repeatedly saying it has no interest in talking to Seoul, and last year blowing up a liaison office on its side of the border. Even so Moon in his Independence Day speech on March 1 said: "This year's Tokyo Olympics could be an opportunity for dialogues between South Korea and Japan, the North and the South, North Korea and Japan, and North Korea and the US." The day commemorates mass protests that took place in 1919 across the Korean peninsula against Tokyo's colonial rule. Seoul's unification ministry said it was "sorry that the Covid situation" had prevented the Games from serving as "an opportunity to advance peace on the Korean peninsula". Japan's chief government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said it was monitoring the reports and authorities were seeking to improve the environment, "including infection countermeasures, so that many countries and regions can participate in the Tokyo Games". Analysts said the virus may not be the only reason behind Pyongyang's decision. "Pyongyang seems to be protesting against Japan's policies on North Korea, as sensitive issues such as human rights and sanctions have been raised by Tokyo, along with the US," Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. The North regularly excoriates Olympic host nation Japan over its brutal 20th-century annexation, with KCNA carrying a report Sunday condemning new Japanese history textbooks as "persistent and shameless distortion of history". Tokyo regularly demands resolution of the issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by the North, although Pyongyang insists it has returned all those it seized who are still alive.

N. Korea says will not go to Olympics over Covid fears

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Paris Olympics 2024: North, South Korean athletes go viral for sharing selfie after medal ceremony

N. Korea says will not go to Olympics over Covid fears