South Korea backs unified presence with North in Winter Paralympics

Seoul [South Korea], Mar 10 (ANI): The creative executive director for the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics on Saturday supported the unified presence of both North and South Korea in the sporting event.

Both Koreas, in an unusual display of unity between them, carried out a joint torch relay in the on-going Winter Paralympics.

This comes after the two scrapped the plans to conduct a joint parade in the opening ceremony of the Paralympics citing dispute over the use of a Korean Unification Flag depicting the disputed region of Dokdo claimed by both Japan and South Korea.

Commenting on the presence of North Korea in the Paralympics Lee Moon-Tae, the creative executive director for the opening ceremony of the event said he wanted to have the two Koreas show a moment of collaboration with a strong message of coexistence.

While addressing a press conference at the Main Press Centre in PyeongChang Lee Moon Tae said due to the division of the Korean peninsula, their country has been disabled.

"(The Korean Peninsula) is divided in the middle, and that could mean our country is disabled. I thought South and North Korean athletes joining hands would symbolize disabled and non-disabled coming together."

He further said, "I asked local organizers to make athletes from South and North Korea participate in the opening ceremony in any way", as quoted by Yonhap News Agency.

The two Koreas depicted a moment of harmony in the torch relay as two skiers South Korea's Choi Bo-gue and North Korea's Ma Yu-chol, carried the Paralympic torch together.

Commenting on the common torch-relay by North-South Korea, Lee Moon Tae said, "To tell the truth, torchbearer selection is not in the area of ceremony producers or directors. I had to request the organizers to let South and North Korea athletes take part in the ceremony in any sort of way". (ANI)