SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Despite a continuing nuclear standoff and virtually no interactions between each other politically, some North and South Koreans are making an exception — among their athletes at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The countries' interactions in Rio began when South Korea's 17-year-old gymnast Lee Eun-ju took a selfie with North Korea's Hong Un Jong earlier this month on the sidelines of their competition and training.
It is Lee's first Olympics, while Hong was the first North Korean female gymnast to win a gold at the 2008 Beijing Games. The picture quickly became one of the iconic Olympics photos, with IOC President Thomas Bach describing it as a "great gesture.