ROK weightlifters win medals in intl competition in DPRK

PYONGYANG - South Korean weightlifters saw their national flag raised for the first time in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after winning gold at the Asian Cup and Interclub Weightlifting Championship on Saturday.

According to the official KCNA news agency, on the third day of the 2013 Asian Cup and Interclub Weightlifting Championship, South Korean lifters Kim U-sik and Ri Yong-gun won gold and silver medal respectively in the men's 85kg category, while teammate Ri Jae-gwang won bronze medal in the men's 94kg division.

The South Korean delegation, headed by Joun Chang-boum, consists of 22 lifters and 19 officials.

"We are thrilled to come here. We will do our best by demonstrating the pure sports spirit, and take it a chance to contribute to the exchanges between two Koreans," Lee Heung Jik, a member of the South Korean delegation, told Xinhua upon arrival on Tuesday.

The last time South Korean athletes competed in Pyongyang was in 2003 for an inter-Korean basketball and football event.

The Asian Cup Weightlifting Championship has been held since 2011 while the Asian Interclub Weightlifting Championship has long been sponsored by the Asian Weightlifting Federation.

The Asian Cup, scheduled for Sep 11-17 in Pyongyang, also feature weightlifters from countries including China, Uzbekistan, Myanmar and Kuwait.