North and South Korean gymnasts defy politics and take a cute selfie

This one little snap captures everything the Olympic Games are about.

South Korea's Chung Hee-yeon performs in the women's gymnastics team event of the Asian Games at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon on Sept. 22, 2014. (AAP Image/Yonhap News Agency) NO ARCHIVING, AUSTRALIA ONLY

South Korean artistic gymnast leaping gracefully. Source: AAP

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this selfie taken by South Korean gymnast Lee Eun-Ju, 17, with North Korean Hong Un Jong, 27, tells the story of how two sportswomen put the political tension between their home countries aside, and came together to celebrate the Olympic Games.
The picture has already been shared throughout the internet with people praising the duo for embracing the true spirit of the games.


The Olympic Games may have originated from the Greek tradition of competitive track and field sports held in Olympia in the 8th Century, but the modern Olympic Games have been viewed as a way for the world to come together and celebrate each other's sporting achievements through friendly competition.
Both athletes qualified individually for the Olympic Games without their teams. Prior to Rio, Eun-Ju came third the 2015 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships, while Jong was an Olympic Gold Medalist winning the vault championships at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.


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By Shami Sivasubramanian



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