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| South Korea's Kim Eun-ho, right, skis during his PyeongChang Olympics men's cross-country 15km+15km skiathlon race at Alpensia Cross-Country Centre, Sunday, with two North Korean coaches rooting for Kim, who was far behind the main group. / Yonhap |
By Nam Hyun-woo
A photograph showing North Korean coaches cheering for a South Korean athlete at the PyeongChang Olympic Games is touching locals here.
In the Sunday photo, South Korea's Kim Eun-ho is in his men's cross-country 15km + 15km skiathlon race, with two men wearing North Korean uniforms standing behind him.
According to the photographer, the two men were North Korean coaches who visited the skiathlon course for training, and they shouted at Kim to cheer him on, as he lagged far behind the main group.
Kim could not finish the race as he was a lap behind the leader after 16.72 kilometers and disqualified.
The photo soon grabbed public attention, with internet users leaving comments that: "This photograph symbolizes peace," or "the scene we wanted to see at the Olympics."
On the other hand, some others exploited the photo for ideological arguments.
Former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeong Cheong-rae wrote on Twitter, "This touching photo shows Korea is one and the Korean people are dreaming of the successful hosting of the Olympics together." He added, "Those who want the Olympics to fail should repent."
Kim Eo-jun, a popular independent journalist, said in his podcast that "this historic photo will be remembered for long," adding, "major internet portals are paying attention to photos of conservative protests and conflict-causing activities, while turning a blind eye to photos symbolizing peace."
Amid South Korean President Moon Jae-in's peacemaking efforts toward the North at the PyeongChang Games, conservative activists have been staging protests against the move.
Last week, they protested in front of the Kwandong Hockey Centre, where the first Olympic match of the unified Korean women's ice hockey team took place; and in front of the National Theater of Korea in Seoul, where the North's music troupe performed Sunday.
