South, North form mixed doubles teams

"We are the One."

South and North Korea will field a joint mixed double teams in the upcoming inter-Korean friendly table tennis tournament to be held July 28 in Pyongyang.

This was revealed Wednesday by Kim Chung-Yong, vice chairman of the Korean Table Tennis Association, who visited Pyongyang for five days from July 14 to discuss the idea with his Northern counterparts how to hold the tournament.

"South and North Korea agreed to hold a total of five games between the Samsung Insurance team of the South and the Moranbong team of the North," he said.The five games will be two singles for men and women, two doubles for men and women and one mixed double, Kim said.

He also said that in particular the two sides agreed to form two joint teams for the mixed doubles match -- one with a South Korean male player and a North Korean female player, and the other vice versa.Although the upcoming Pyongyang tournament is a friendly game, it is the first time for the two Koreas to form any singles team with their players since they did nine years ago in the 1991 Chiba World Table Tennis Championships in 1991.

On the North Korean Moranbong team were veteran Kim Sung-Hi, leader of male players, and North Korea`s ranking No. 1 and No. 2 female players, Kim Hyun-Hi and Kim Hyang-Mi."I did not discuss officially (with my Northern counterparts) about the possible formation of an inter-Korean single team for the Osaka World Championship next year, but I got a feeling that the North is considering the idea positively,¡± vice chairman Kim said.He also said that the North is expected to make a final decision on whether to participate in the Hopes tournament to be held in Cheju-do next month.