A joint Korean women’s hockey team have practised together for the first team on Sunday, after North and South Korea decided to join forces for the first time ever at an Olympic competition.
The team, which consists of 35 players in total – 12 North Koreans and 23 South Koreans – is getting ready to compete at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which begin on 9 February.
The two Koreas have also agreed to march under a single flag at the opening ceremony, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.
The nations came together to discuss the Olympics earlier this month. The talks are seen as an important step as it is the first time the North and South have been in dialogue in around two years.
The show of unity has temporarily offered some respite from the growing concerns over North Korea’s nuclear ambition.
Each Korean country has sent their own women’s hockey coach, with Sarah Murray from the South and ultimately in control of the joint team, and Pak Chol-ho from the North.
Joint Korean women's hockey team has first practice together https://t.co/cRR8tooTzw — Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) January 28, 2018
While the unified Korean team consists of more players than all other countries, who each bring 23, like every other team they will only be allowed to have 22 players on the game roster.
Approval was given for the united team by the International Olympic Committee.
The team will take on Switzerland on 10 February, Sweden on 12 February and Japan on 14 February, at the Kwandong Hockey Centre in Gangneung.
In the past the two Koreas have sent joint teams for table tennis and youth football world championships, but have never joined forces for the Olympics.
Great Britain athletes heading to the Winter Olympics
10 show all Great Britain athletes heading to the Winter Olympics
1/10 Biathlon Amanda Lightfoot will be competing in the Biathlon at the Winter Olympics Adidas
2/10 Bobsleigh Montell Douglas is part of the GB women's Bobsleigh team Adidas
3/10 Bobsleigh Bradley Hall, Joel Fearon and Lamin Deen will be competing in the Bobsleigh for GB Adidas
4/10 Short Track Speed Skating Elise Christie is a short-track speed-skater and will be competing in several events in this year's Winter Olympics Adidas
5/10 Short Track Speed Skating Speed Skater Farrell Treacy will be representing Team GB in the short track event Adidas
6/10 Skeleton Reigning Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold will be heading to Pyeongchang to defend her skeleton title Adidas
7/10 Skeleton Dominic Parsons will be competing in the men's skeleton at the Winter Olympics Adidas
8/10 Curling Anna Sloan is part of the women's British curling team Adidas
9/10 Ski Cross Eight-time British Ski Cross Champion Emily Sarsfield will represent GB at the Winter Olympics Adidas
10/10 Snowboarding Snowboarder Katie Ormerod is heading to the winter Olympics for Team GB Adidas
North Korea are sending a total of 22 athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics, who will compete in hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating, Alpine skiing and cross-country skiing.
They will also send a 230-person cheering squad as part of the country's 550-strong delegation.
The Unification Flag of Korea, which both North and South Korean Olympians will use to represent them in the games.
On Sunday, female  players from  and  joined one another for a training session before the upcoming Winter Olympics. Players from the two Koreas are to compete together as a united team for the events hosted in , South Korea, which are scheduled to start on February 9; Seoul's Unification Ministry said. The cross-border gesture is part of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions on the divided  and the team was approved by the .

The  selected Pyeongchang in 2011 to host the event, marking South Korea's first opportunity since the  in . The earlier event was marred by violence as North Korea had  several months prior, killing over 100 and boycotted the event. Inter-Korean relations have changed considerably in the ensuing thirty years, including the two sending unified teams for table tennis and youth football in other non-Olympic competitions.

The announcement that the two countries would compete together was a stated goal of South Korean President . Last year, he announced the proposal and the two nations went into discussion this month. After two weeks, they made the announcement to field a consolidated 35-strong team of ice hockey players and have joint skiing exercises with both team coaches involved.

According to Yonhap News Agency estimates, about 80% of South Koreans support dialogue, but the move to have a joint team has been controversial. Over 10,000 South Korean citizens sent a petition to South Korean President Moon opposing the union and a group of North Korean  held a protest at the South Korean  on January 24, tearing apart photos of the North Korean leader, . Public support for eventual reunification of the Korean peninsula has waned in recent years, with the younger generation more skeptical of the possibility.