South Korea defeat North in handball

Players bond before, during and after match despite lopsided win

South Korea defeated North Korea 39-22 in women’s handball on Tuesday in the first inter-Korean showdown at the 18th Asian Games.

Jung Yu-ra led a balanced South Korean attack with a game-high 12 goals in the Group A victory at GOR Popki Cibubur in Jakarta.

The opening ceremony for the Asian Games is Saturday in Jakarta, but preliminary matches in handball, football and basketball will be played beforehand to accommodate long schedules.

South Korea, the defending champions, will next face India today at the same venue.

South Korean players said afterward that it was a unique experience to face North Koreans. “We were a bit nervous because we didn’t know anything about North Korean players,” said Jung. “When I fell down during the game, North Koreans came to me and asked if I was OK. I was really grateful.” South Korean captain Yoo Hyun-ji said she had never taken a pre-game group photo with players from the two teams all mixed in with one another, like the Koreans did before Tuesday’s contest.

Unified Korean flags

“I spoke to a few North Korean players before the start, and it felt different,” Yoo added. The joint Korean women’s basketball team marked their Asian Games debut by pulverising hosts Indonesia 108-40, roared on by giddy fans waving unified Korean flags.

Around 100 Korean fans in white T-shirts bearing a blue unified Korean flag serenaded the players and banged drums.

“We haven’t had a lot of time to work on our chemistry but we speak the same language and we are all on the same page,” Korean coach Lee Moon-kyu said. “North or South Korean, we all have the same desire to win.”

In the football, Son Heungmin watched from the bench as South Korea tore apart Bahrain 6-0 to boost the Tottenham Hotspur striker’s chances of avoiding military service by winning gold.