(Asian Games) Joint Korean rowing team builds teamwork in Palembang

All News 16:24 August 17, 2018

PALEMBANG, Indonesia, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- Rowers from South Korea and North Korea are focusing on building teamwork for the 18th Asian Games as they aim to produce meaningful results beyond unity.

At the ongoing Asian Games in Indonesia, the South and the North will have joint teams in women's basketball, canoeing, and rowing.

In rowing, the Koreas will compete as one team in the women's lightweight double sculls, the men's lightweight four and eight.

Rowing is a sport where partnership and teamwork between rowers are considered critical factors. The South and the North Korea rowers, who arrived in Palembang, the co-host city of the 18th Asian Games with Jakarta, on Monday, have been training together for only about three weeks. Despite that short period of time, the rowers said they can make positive results.

"Other teams have trained for at least one year for this competition, but we've only trained for three weeks so far," said Myeong Su-seong, who will compete in the men's eight. "But we speak to each other very much, so that we can mingle together quickly."

Rowers from South and North Korea head for practice for the 18th Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, on Aug. 17, 2018. (Yonhap)

Hwang Woo-seok, a South Korean head coach for the joint team, said the coaching staff is also working together closely. He and North Korea's Hong Yong-il are currently guiding the men's eight.

"Hong is older than me, but he understands me well," he said. "We're having very good discussions on analysis of other teams and our tactics."

Although people's attention rose high with the joint team, Hwang said that it will be a tough challenge for the Koreans to reach the podium.

"Rowing is a sport where you need to work together for a very long time," he said. "But if you see our records, I think we do have some possibilities on the women's side."

South Korea has so far won only three gold medals in rowing at the Asian Games. The country claimed two gold at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games at home, while its first one came at the 2006 edition in Doha.

China has been dominant in rowing, taking 83 out of 100 gold medals so far at the Asian Games.

"We are dealing with a wind speed of three meters per second here, so it will be physically challenging for us," he said. "We're also competing on a course that requires lots of good techniques. Since a sport like rowing can show a good example of unity, we'll try our best to show that meaning through our performance."