Divided again, South Korea beat North Korea in Asian Games basketball
Sports
Divided again, South Korea beat North Korea in Asian Games basketball
HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Having played in a unified team at the Asian Games in Jakarta five years ago, North and South Korea's women basketballers battled each other in Hangzhou on Friday in a full-blooded contest that the South won 81-62.
In 2018, North Korea contributed three players to the 12-member roster coached by South Korean Lee Moon-Kyoo: Ro Suk-Yong, Kim Hye-yon and Jang Mi-gyong.
They won a silver medal, losing 71-65 to China in the final.
On Friday, at China's Asian Games, a number of the roster returned, split on opposing sides for the Group C match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Ro captained North Korea and guard Kim started on the bench, while South Korea had forward Kang Lee-seul, guard Park Ji-hyun and centre Park Ji-su among the 2018 alumni.
With South Korea and North Korea still technically at war, there has been diplomatic tension at the Games.
North Korean athletes refused to join South Korean rivals for a group photo of medal winners at the shooting competition.
With that backdrop, South Korea's coach Jung Sun-min warned her players not to respond too aggressively if the game got physical.
It did at times, with North Korea's 6ft-8in Pak Ji-na laying some bruising hits on her opponents.
"We also predicted this tense game in the locker room," Jung told reporters.
"I reminded our players ... definitely there will be some inevitable physical contact.
"However, we shall not over-react.
"And this shall not affect the competition, we will control ourselves.
"We were fully prepared for it. If they are strong, we will be stronger."
North Korea had a cheer-squad numbering a few dozen people high up in the grandstand of the half-full stadium.
Wearing identical white T-shirts and baseball caps, they chanted throughout and cheered madly every time a South Korean was off target.
Yet with China a long-standing ally of North Korea, there was plenty of local support in the crowd.
South Korea trailed at the first quarter but big centre Park took command to drive them to a 33-25 lead at halftime and extend the lead to 20 points after the third quarter.
