The Unified Korean Table Tennis Team
How ping pong brought together athletes from bitter rivals North and South Korea.
Witness History · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
In 1991, amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, Pyongyang and Seoul agreed to field a united Korean table tennis team at the World Championships in Japan. Previously bitter rivals, players from the North and South spent more than a month training together and eventually bonding. Their experience inspired a hit film in South Korea, where ping pong is a very popular sport. Simon Watts spoke to former South Korean women's champion, Hyun Jung-Hwa about being part of that unified team.
PHOTO: The Korean women's team on the podium (Credit: Getty Images)