( EDITORIAL from Korea Times on April 5 ) Sports bridge two KoreasThe cross visits of athletes from the two Koreas are raising hopes that sports can play a role in thawing inter - Korean relations . Earlier this week , North Korea ' s women ' s hockey team arrived at the venue of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Gangwon Province to take part in the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) Women ' s World Championship . This is the first time for a North Korean sports team to visit Korea since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games . North Korea lost to Australia 2 - 1 during a match at the Gangneung Hockey Center , but thanked South Koreans for their passionate support . It was moving to see South Koreans turn out in droves with chants like " We are one " and " Go Korea . " A showdown between the two Koreas will take place today . Our women ' s football team visited Pyongyang earlier this week for an Asian Cup match Wednesday against India at Kim Il Sung Stadium . This is the first time for the national women ' s football team to visit Pyongyang in 27 years . They arrived at the North Korean capital via Beijing , Sunday . The last time South Korean athletes visited Pyongyang was for a boys ' football tournament in 2015 . Regardless of the result , Koreans are hoping that the Pyongyang visit of the women ' s football team will provide momentum for more active exchanges between the two countries . There is nothing like sports to bring the two Koreas together . The world is eyeing how the PyeongChang Olympics could impact inter - Korean relations . The North Koreans seemed excited to visit the Olympic venue . Their participation in Korea ' s first Winter Olympics will be welcomed by all South Koreans . Former President Park Geun - hye failed to advance inter - Korean relations despite her " unification bonanza " theory . Due to North Korea ' s multiple provocations , relations between the two Koreas continued to deteriorate before she decided to close the inter - Korean industrial park in Gaeseong in February 2016 . The new president should remember that it is crucial to pursue cultural and sports exchanges from a long - term perspective despite the political circumstances . ( END )