ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Hopes that the rival Koreas would march under one flag as a unified Korean team at a regional judo championship in Mongolia were dashed this weekend by a dispute over the flag.
At the center of the disagreement between the teams competing Sunday at the East Asia Judo Championship in Ulaanbaatar is how the "unification flag" depicts the Korean peninsula.
The North Korean team opposed the flag because it excluded two islands that are claimed by Japan and administered by South Korea.
North and South Korea have in recent months been cooperating for a series of conciliatory measures. During the Winter Olympics in February, the rival Koreas entered the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium together, under one flag, which was white with the blue Korean peninsula in the middle.