Inter-Korean cooperation has led to some great results this week in table tennis.<br />A pair of players from South and North playing together... have won gold in the mixed doubles at the Korea Open in Daejeon.<br />Oh Jung-hee reports. <br /> The gymnasium was filled with cheers Saturday for the unified Korean table tennis team... that made it to the finals of the Korea Open mixed doubles.<br />South Korea's Jang Woo-jin and North Korea's Cha Hyo-sim were the only one left among the four pan-Korean pairs competing in the mixed doubles,... the other three having been knocked out early.<br /><br /> It was a tense but thrilling 40-minute final against a team from China.<br />Winning the second, third, and fourth sets in a row,... the Korean unified team beat the Chinese duo 3 to 1 and took first place.<br />Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, who was watching,... praised the two Koreans for playing a wonderful game.<br /><br /> "You didn't have enough time to practice together, but despite that, you played so well today. Thank you. I believe the spirit you showed us will contribute to further improving inter-Korean relations."<br /><br /> This is the first time in 27 years for a Korean unified team to win gold in table tennis -- the last time was in women's games at the 1991 world championships in Japan.<br />South Korea's Jang Woo-jin said it was one of the most memorable matches of his career and expressed his appreciation to his North Korean partner.<br /><br /> "I want to thank Hyo-sim a lot, because, every time I tried to take risks and got nervous, she told me to play just as we'd been doing and stayed very calm. She was really friendly and I depended on her a lot."<br /><br /> He said the South and North Korean players built deep trust in a short period of time,... and added that it'd be great if they could play together again in the future.<br /><br /> "After the game ended, I saw Hyo-sim tear up. I suddenly felt that it's really time to part and that made me feel very sentimental. If there's another opportunity to form a unified team, I'd love to play with Hyo-sim again one day."<br /><br /> South Korean President Moon Jae-in released a congratulatory message, saying the two Koreas had become one again through sports... and that the victory shows how strong the South and North can be... when they work together.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News. <br />
