The 2007 Winter Asian Games got underway at the Wuhuan Gymnasium in Changchun, in China’s Jilin Province on Sunday attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao. Athletes from South and North Korea marched together at the opening ceremony under a unification flag bearing the Korean Peninsula in blue on a white background. It was carried by South Korean skier Oh Jae-eun (23) and ice hockey player Ri Kum-song (18) from the North.

But an inter-Korean meeting about forming a single team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic had to be cancelled after the president of North Korea’s National Olympic Committee, Moon Jae-deok, failed to show. An after-dinner performance on opening day was themed around Korea’s symbolic Mt. Baekdu, which is now partly in China, underlining Chinese efforts to develop and co-opt the mountain. The international press center was stacked high with piles of promotional materials for the mountain China calls Changbai.

Dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the sixth Winter Asian Games in Chungchun, China on Sunday.

For South Korea, the games start Monday with short-track and speed skating events. Seoul expects the first gold medal in the 1,500m women’s short track event, pinning its hopes on Jin Sun-yu (Gwangmoon Highschool), Byun Chun-sa (Korea National Sports University) and Jung Eun-ju (Seohyun Highschool). In the men’s 1,500 m short track event, Ahn Hun-soo (Korea National Sports University), Lee Ho-suk (Kyung Hee University) and Song Kyung-taek (Gangneung City Government) hope to repeat their Olympic success.

Lee Kyu-hyuk (left) and Lee Sang-hwa in training at the sixth Winter Asian Games that started Sunday in Changchun, China.

Meanwhile, South Korea topped the medal count in the 2007 Turin Winter Universiade which ended Friday, a first for the country. South Korea won 10 gold medals, 11 silver and nine bronze. Next were Russia with nine gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze and host nation Italy with nine gold, two silver and six bronze. Again, Korea had to thank short-track speed skaters for its success. Even without top skaters who were preparing for the Asian Games, Korea was hard to beat. It took eight out of 10 medals in the sport, missing out only in the women’s 1,000 m singles and 3,000 m relay. Sung Si-bak swept the gold medals in all five men’s short-track events. In speed skating, Lee Kang-seok (Korea National Sports University) and Lee Sang-hwa (Hwi Kyung Girl's High School) won gold in the men’s and women’s 500 m events. But except for two silver in ski jumping, Korea performed poorly in other events.

(englishnews@chosun.com )