Regardless of the inter-Korean and sports rivalry enveloping them, South Korean figure skating pair Kim Kyu-eun, 19, and Kam Kang-chan, 23, are seemingly in a fairly great relationship with the North Korean pair Ryom Tae-ok, 19, and Kim Ju-sik, 26.

The pairs trained alongside each other at Gangneung Ice Arena, Monday, for a session that lasted about 40 minutes from 3 p.m. during which they smiled at each other when their eyes met.


 

Throngs of Korean and foreign media swarmed the venue to hear from the athletes.

After the session was over, Kim Ju-sik of the North told the reporters as he left the rink that the “atmosphere has been good.”

South Korean female skater Kim Kyu-eun expressed regret that the pairs did not get the chance to speak to each other due to training at a distance on the rink.

Kim said she would go say hello and pass the North Korean skater Ryom Tae-ok the birthday gift she prepared.

Kim and Ryom are the same age, which, in Korea, is almost a requirement for two people to stand on an equal footing to become friends.

Ryom‘s birthday was Thursday.

Kim said she put together a special gift package comprising of South Korean cosmetic products for Ryom to use when she is staying in Gangneung.


 

The gift package includes lipsticks, eye shadow and facial mask packs, as well as hot packs for the cold weather and socks with cute characters drawn on them. 

The South and North Korean athletes had trained together in Montreal, Canada, from June to August last year, under coach Bruno Marcotte.

The South Korean players, having started training earlier than the North Korean players, had helped them with basic English and apparently grew close over shared meals of gimbap and kimchi.

The four skaters had promised to meet at the Olympics, but even as Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik qualified to compete in the international event, they had not sign up officially until the sudden New Year’s decision by Kim Jong-un.

South‘s Kam also had an injury after he hurt his shoulder in the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Taipei last month while performing a lift. The North’s Kim Ju-sik had asked after Kam‘s condition the moment he arrived in the Olympic Athlete’s Village.

Kam told the reporters that the pain has gone away and that he wishes to give a good performance at the Olympics.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)