“We Are One”

[Anchor Lead]

The unified Korean women’s hockey team fell to Sweden 8-0 in a disappointing second loss in Olympic play. But the team was met with warm encouragement in the stands, from a North Korean cheering squad and a South Korean unification group. The inter-Korean teammates kept their heads high to the cheers of “We are one.”

[Pkg]

Even though the unified Korean team kept giving up goals, the vibrant voices of the North Korean cheering squad resonated louder and louder through the ice rink.

[Soundbite] "Cheer up! Cheer up!"

Each time Team Korea lost a chance to score a goal, the cheering squad rose from their seats to share the pain.

[Soundbite] "We are one. We are one."

The voices of the North Korean cheering squad grew louder as time went by, filling every part of the ice rink, and they started a wave that traveled through the crowd and had spectators on their feet.

[Soundbite] (N. Korean Cheering Squad) : "The North and the South are neighbors. We are joining hands as one nation to cheer together."

Some 100 members of a South Korean unification movement group joined the cheering squad during the unified ice hockey team's second game. They came to cheer on Team Korea, whose players wore the same blue uniforms regardless of whether they were from the South or the North.

[Soundbite] Chung Eun-young(Cheongju Resident) : "My heart is still racing. Even though Team Korea lost, we got to witness that we are one indeed."

The North Korean cheering squad willingly agreed to take selfies with other spectators. After a fierce one-hour match, the cheering squads from the two Koreas sang a song together.

[Soundbite] "Goodbye. Let's meet again."

The inter-Korean cheering squad is expected to cheer with more zest at the Korea-Japan match slated for February 14.