Two Koreas clash in rare game

GANGNEUNG, South Korea: South Korea scored a victory against arch rival the North in a rare ice hockey match Thursday, in a game that resonated beyond the sportsfield.

Playing in the South just an hour’s drive from the heavily fortified demilitarised zone that divides them, the two Koreas faced off in the women’s world ice hockey championships division II group A – seen as a test event for next year’s Winter Olympics.

In a much-hyped clash in front of thousands of eager spectators, the South’s team dominated the game, scoring two early powerplay goals and clinching a 3- 0 win.

“It is meaningful to play against the North Korean team on Korean soil,” said 16- year- old South Korean forward Lee Eun- Ji after the game.

The North Korean team kept their heads down as the South’s anthem was played after the game, and all players then posed awkwardly for a souvenir photo.

“Most of the ( North Korean) players looked like they cried so it was difficult for us to approach them after the game,” said South Korean blueliner Park Ye-Eun.

The North Korean players did not comment to the media after the game.

A 500- strong squad of whiteuniformed cheerleaders, from students to the elderly, performed an exuberant display with prounification f lags to mark the first North- South face- off on the peninsula in 11 years.

“It’s a reflection of the people’s high hopes and expectations,” said Lee Sun- Kyung, leader of the group that organised the cheerleading team.

The crowd chanted “Go Korea! We are one!” at climactic moments in the game.

Security was tight at the venue in the eastern city of Gangneung, with rows of police buses parked outside the rink and of ficers patrolling the area.

Around 6,000 tickets sold online days before the game and fans lined up hours for a further 1,000 tickets distributed at the venue.

“We came two hours before the game for our tickets because we didn’t want to miss this opportunity,” said Cho Eun-Mi, who watched the match with her husband and young daughter.