Athletes from two Koreas to meet for first-ever ice hockey friendly
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-03 15:04

CHUNCHEON, South Korea (AP) _ Athletes from the two Koreas glided across the ice Friday as they practiced for the first ice hockey game involving the North and South since the peninsula was divided more than 50 years ago.

A 37-member North Korean delegation, including 23 athletes, arrived Thursday at Chuncheon in Gangwon Province, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the capital Seoul, for the two Koreas' first joint winter sports event.

Players wearing the same uniform with the picture of a unified peninsula _ South Koreans in blue and North Koreans in red _ slammed the puck across an ice rink Friday morning as they warmed up for their first friendly game later in the day.

Friday's match will be played between two mixed teams of South Korean and North Korean players, while Saturday's game will pit the North and South teams against each other.

The games "represent that the South and the North condemn division and conflict, but promote harmony and coexistence of Gangwon Province," the regional government said in a statement. The province is the only administrative zone that is split between the Koreas.

Although the countries remain divided, exchanges between the North and South have increased since their leaders met for the first time in 2000.