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

South Korean double Olympic champion skater Shim Suk-hee is seeking a heavier sentence for her former coach, her lawyer said Friday, after he was jailed for more than a decade for sexually assaulting her over several years.

The short track skater -- one of the country's top female sports stars -- went public in 2019 with accusations that Cho Jae-beom had sexually abused her over three years, starting when she was 17.

Her action confronted a culture of shame in the socially conservative South and prompted a series of athletes to come forward with similar allegations, leading to apologies from sporting authorities.

Cho was convicted and sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail by the Suwon District Court on Thursday, but Shim's lawyer said they will ask the court to impose a longer term.

Prosecutors had initially demanded 20 years in prison.

"As a victim, (Shim) hopes that an appeal by the prosecution will result in more severe punishment," Im Sang-hyeok, Shim's lawyer, told AFP.

The Suwon Prosecutor's Office told AFP that it will "thoroughly" consider the ruling and Shim's demand for a heavier penalty.

Now aged 23, Shim has four Olympic medals to her name, including relay golds at both Sochi 2014 and on home ice during the Pyeongchang Games four years later.

South Korea is a regional sporting powerhouse, regularly in the top 10 medal table places at both the summer and winter Olympics, with short-track speed skating providing many of its titles.

But in an already intensely competitive society where coaches hold immense sway over athletes' careers, the sport was long known to be rife with physical and verbal abuse.

Cho was sentenced to 18 months in jail in January 2019 on separate charges of physically abusing her -- violence that she told the court began when she was seven.

Shim exposed the truth out of a desire "to convince the world that no-one should ever again be victimised like her", her lawyer Im said, and hoped that the ruling "helps victims somewhere in our society to speak up in the future".

South Korean double Olympic champion skater Shim Suk-hee is seeking a heavier sentence for her former coach, her lawyer said Friday, after he was jailed for more than a decade for sexually assaulting her over several years.

South Korean double Olympic champion skater Shim Suk-hee is seeking a heavier sentence for her former coach, her lawyer said Friday, after he was jailed for more than a decade for sexually assaulting her over several years. The short track skater -- one of the country's top female sports stars -- went public in 2019 with accusations that Cho Jae-beom had sexually abused her over three years, starting when she was 17. Her action confronted a culture of shame in the socially conservative South and prompted a series of athletes to come forward with similar allegations, leading to apologies from sporting authorities. Cho was convicted and sentenced to 10 and a half years in jail by the Suwon District Court on Thursday, but Shim's lawyer said they will ask the court to impose a longer term. Prosecutors had initially demanded 20 years in prison. "As a victim, (Shim) hopes that an appeal by the prosecution will result in more severe punishment," Im Sang-hyeok, Shim's lawyer, told AFP. The Suwon Prosecutor's Office told AFP that it will "thoroughly" consider the ruling and Shim's demand for a heavier penalty. Now aged 23, Shim has four Olympic medals to her name, including relay golds at both Sochi 2014 and on home ice during the Pyeongchang Games four years later. South Korea is a regional sporting powerhouse, regularly in the top 10 medal table places at both the summer and winter Olympics, with short-track speed skating providing many of its titles. But in an already intensely competitive society where coaches hold immense sway over athletes' careers, the sport was long known to be rife with physical and verbal abuse. Cho was sentenced to 18 months in jail in January 2019 on separate charges of physically abusing her -- violence that she told the court began when she was seven. Shim exposed the truth out of a desire "to convince the world that no-one should ever again be victimised like her", her lawyer Im said, and hoped that the ruling "helps victims somewhere in our society to speak up in the future".

South Korean Olympic champion seeks heavier sentence for sex-assault coach

When the North and South Korean women&#39;s ice hockey teams clash in a rare match later on Thursday, the game could resonate beyond sports for the two rivals.

The two Koreas are facing off in the women&#39;s world ice hockey championships division II group A competition in South Korea&#39;s Gangneung, some 106 kilometres (66 miles) from the heavily fortified demilitarised zone dividing the North and South.

For the spectators, the game -- the first North-South face-off on the peninsula in 11 years, and a year out from the 2018 Winter Olympics partly held in Gangneung -- carries more meaning than just hockey.

More than 500 people, ranging from students to the elderly, have formed a joint cheerleading squad for the two Koreas, who will be waving a special blue and white flag with a map of Korea -- a symbol of Korean unification -- during the game.

&quot;We initially expected around 200 people but more than double that number showed up,&quot; said Lee Sun-Kyung, leader of the pro-unification group that organised the cheerleading team. &quot;It&#39;s a reflection of the people&#39;s high hopes and expectation,&quot; she said.

South Korean media have closely followed the North Korean team since their arrival on Saturday, with pictures of the players training or strolling on the beach plastered over the internet and TV.

The 30-member North Korean delegation, including the players, their coaches and some sports officials, have so far been reticent about speaking to South Korean media.

The sensitivity of the match can be felt in the press centre in Gangneung, which has a list of instructions taped on the tables.

&quot;Please refrain from asking any questions not related to the game, such as political questions,&quot; it says, warning that violators will be kicked out.

The game takes place when tensions are running especially high on the Korean peninsula following a ballistic missile launch by the North Wednesday and expectations of a sixth nuclear test.

The last time Pyongyang participated in an international sports event held in South Korea was the Incheon Asian Games in 2014, during which the North dispatched three of its top officials for talks with Seoul.

South Korea&#39;s women&#39;s football team are also on a rare trip to Pyongyang, where they are scheduled to play North Korea in an Asian Cup qualifying tournament on Friday.

(AFP)

It's the first North-South face-off on the peninsula in 11 years, one year away from the 2018 Olympics partly held in Gangneung

When the North and South Korean women's ice hockey teams clash in a rare match later on Thursday, the game could resonate beyond sports for the two rivals. The two Koreas are facing off in the women's world ice hockey championships division II group A competition in South Korea's Gangneung, some 106 kilometres (66 miles) from the heavily fortified demilitarised zone dividing the North and South. For the spectators, the game -- the first North-South face-off on the peninsula in 11 years, and a year out from the 2018 Winter Olympics partly held in Gangneung -- carries more meaning than just hockey. More than 500 people, ranging from students to the elderly, have formed a joint cheerleading squad for the two Koreas, who will be waving a special blue and white flag with a map of Korea -- a symbol of Korean unification -- during the game. "We initially expected around 200 people but more than double that number showed up," said Lee Sun-Kyung, leader of the pro-unification group that organised the cheerleading team. "It's a reflection of the people's high hopes and expectation," she said. South Korean media have closely followed the North Korean team since their arrival on Saturday, with pictures of the players training or strolling on the beach plastered over the internet and TV. The 30-member North Korean delegation, including the players, their coaches and some sports officials, have so far been reticent about speaking to South Korean media. The sensitivity of the match can be felt in the press centre in Gangneung, which has a list of instructions taped on the tables. "Please refrain from asking any questions not related to the game, such as political questions," it says, warning that violators will be kicked out. The game takes place when tensions are running especially high on the Korean peninsula following a ballistic missile launch by the North Wednesday and expectations of a sixth nuclear test. The last time Pyongyang participated in an international sports event held in South Korea was the Incheon Asian Games in 2014, during which the North dispatched three of its top officials for talks with Seoul. South Korea's women's football team are also on a rare trip to Pyongyang, where they are scheduled to play North Korea in an Asian Cup qualifying tournament on Friday. (AFP)

Ice hockey: North, South Korea clash in rare game