A south Korean weightlifter saw his national flag raised for the first time in North Korea Saturday after winning gold in an international competition under way in the communist country, The Associated Press reported.

Two South Koreans, Kim Woo-sik and Lee Young-gun, were the only competitors in the 85 kilogram category and automatically won gold and silver at the Asian Cup and Interclub Weightlifting Championship in the North, AP said in a report from Pyongyang, the North's capital.

During the medal awarding ceremony, South Korea's national flag was raised and its national anthem played for the first time in North Korea, said the AP which runs a bureau in the North.

The development is another sign of eased tensions on the Korean Peninsula following a torrent of North Korean war threats earlier this year.

South Korea is defined as an enemy country under North Korean law.

Twenty-two South Korean weightlifters are taking part in the continental competition in North Korea. They are scheduled to return home on Wednesday. (Yonhap news)