JAKARTA -- The unified Korean women's basketball team defeated India 104-54 for its second victory in Group X in the preliminary round on Monday, receiving cheers from both North and South Korean fans.
The team includes three North Koreans, including Jang Mi Gyong, who scored 11 points in the game.
Every time Korea scored, there was a loud cheer from the stands, where a total of more than 100 North and South Korean supporters wore similar white shirts featuring the Korean Peninsula.
"We are playing well as a team," Jang said. "I want to play better and bring joy to my people."
South Korean teammate Kim Han Byul added: "We are the same team wearing the same jersey. It doesn't matter whether you're North Korean or South Korean."
In the stands, the Korean contingent chanted in unison, "Korea, Korea, Korea." A North Korean woman who lives in Indonesia said, "It's nice to see the unified Korean team."
Cho Hyungwon, a South Korean university student, said, "I was excited to see the increasing gap [in the points between unified Korea and India]."
"Politics is very slow [regarding the reunification of the Korean Peninsula]," she added, "but I think this kind of sports event is helpful for that goal."
South Korea won the women's basketball gold at the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea.
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