Asian Games 2018: Reason behind three teams from Korea on the Asiad Medal Tally

What's the story?

India's performance at the Asian Games has been something to be proud of. 62 medals in total along with 13 gold have put the nation in the top 10 on the medals tally and with a few events still to come, there is scope for some more success.

Elsewhere on the tally, however, there seems to be an odd addition in the group of countries competing in Jakarta and Palembang. For some reason, there are three Koreas in the list of nations, making plenty scratch their heads.

In case you didn't know...

South Korea and North Korea are both competing at the Asian Games and have both been fairly impressive on the medals tally so far. While the South, or the Republic of Korea, have a total of 158 medals with 42 gold, North Korea, or DPR Korea, have a total of 34 medals with 12 gold, placing them just behind India.

The heart of the matter

The reason for Korea number three is that a sudden improvement in relations between the two countries has fostered the need for a unified Korea that is competing under a separate flag with athletes from the two nations.

For the first time in its history, a unified Korea has also won a gold medal at the Games, with a victory in the 500m women's dragon boating event. The medal is historic for a number of reasons and there is hope that the performance will further boost ties between the countries on the peninsula.

What's next?

Korea currently have 3 medals in total and having already clinched a gold, the aim is to do better before the tournament comes to an eventual close.

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Can a Unified Korea win more medals at the Asian Games? Let us know in the comments.