Published : Feb. 4, 2018 - 18:17
Four North Koreans will play in the first game for the joint women's hockey team on Sunday.
Twelve North Korean players have been added to the 23-deep South Korean squad to create an historic joint Korean hockey team for the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics. With South Korea's bench boss Sarah Murray in charge, the joint team is set to play Sweden for its inaugural game at Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon, just west of Seoul.
Of the 35 players, only 22 -- 20 skaters and two goaltenders -- can dress for actual games during the Olympics. For Sunday's contest, the rosters were also set at 22 per side.
Korean ice hockey players waarm up ahead of a friendly match against Swedish players, Feb. 4, 2018. (Yonhap)
Murray inserted three forwards and one defenseman from North Korea into her lineup.
Jong Su-hyon, one of North Korea's most skilled forwards, will be on the second line alongside Han Soo-jin and Lee Eun-ji.
Ryo Song-hui will center the third line, while Kim Un-hyang will play up the middle on the fourth line. The lone defender from North Korea is Hwang Chung-gum.
Before the North Koreans arrived in the South on Jan. 25, Murray said she liked the hard-nosed style of some North Korean players but didn't think anyone would be talented enough to crack South Korea's top three lines.
The 35 players have been training together since late January, and Jong was said to have made the strongest impression at the camp.
Jong will take the place of the injured Caroline Park on the second line.
Murray previously said she wouldn't give North Korean players ice time just for the sake of doing so because the objective at the Olympics is to win.
The joint team is scheduled to travel to Gangneung, about 230 kilometers east of Seoul, to move into the Gangneung Olympic Village. Its first game in Group B in the Olympic tournament will be against Switzerland next Saturday, followed by Sweden two days later and Japan on Feb. 14. (Yonhap)