Fact Check: Story Behind North and South Korea Selfies at Paris Olympics

Claim:

North and South Korean athletes took selfies together at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Rating:

True ( About this rating? )

Following the conclusion of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, several online commentators included a video showing Olympic athletes from North Korea, South Korea and China taking a series of selfies together in their lists of top olympic moments .

The video first went viral in late July 2024, with posts on social media focused on the significance of the athletes from North and South Korea interacting amiably. These descriptions were accurate.

This video and the images derived from the moment it shows were authentic . The selfie opportunity presented itself at the podium ceremony for mixed doubles table tennis. China took gold in the event, North Korea took silver and South Korea took bronze. The event is pictured below in a photo by Getty Images photographer Jared C. Tilton:

The North Korean team of Jong Sik Ri and Kum Yong Kim appears on the left, the Chinese team of Chuqin Wang and Yingsha Sun is in the center and South Korea's Jonghoon Lim and Yubin Shin are on the right.

Because videos and photos do indeed show North and South Korean athletes taking selfies together, the claim is "True."

Sources:

"Gold Medalists, Chuqin Wang and Yingsha Sun of Team People's Republic..." Getty Images, 30 July 2024, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/gold-medalists-chuqin-wang-and-yingsha-sun-of-team-peoples-news-photo/2164389581 .

"'Most Significant Photo': Selfie of North Korean, South Korean, Chinese Paddlers." South China Morning Post, 31 July 2024, https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/buzz/article/3272620/selfie-north-korean-south-korean-chinese-paddlers-called-games-most-significant-photo .

"North and South Korean Athletes Take a Selfie Together at the Olympics." Reddit, https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1eghv5m/north_and_south_korean_athletes_take_a .

"North Korean Player Has 'some Regrets' after Winning Country's First Medal in Eight Years." Nationalpost, https://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/north-korean-player-has-some-regrets-after-winning-countrys-first-medal-in-eight-years . Accessed 31 July 2024.