Anchor: The unified women’s ice hockey team will play against Sweden on Sunday in a friendly match to test their skills. The coaches are said to be mulling over how to make the best of the North Korean athletes.
Our Park Jong-hong has this report.

Report: The first-ever unified Korean women’s ice hockey team will face off against Sweden on Sunday unveiling their skills and coordination to the world for the first time.

It promises to be a display of unified skills combining the talents of both Koreas.

The one and only pre-Olympic tune up match will be held at the Incheon Sunhak Ice Rink.

The match is already garnering keen attention as it will give a glimpse of the lineup and positions of the 12 North Korean athletes who have been training in South Korea since last week.

Combining 23 South Korean athletes, the 35-member squad will be representing a unified Team Korea.

Head Coach Sarah Murray is reportedly mulling over the starting lineup, that is, how to proportion the North Korean athletes so that they contribute to the right balance of the team’s overall performance.

Experts and Murray both agree that three out of the 12 North Koreans are quite competitive.

But the question is whether or not to give the others a chance to hit the ice and it’s unclear whether Sweden will accept having all the athletes take turns competing against them.

In any case, the match will prove to be a preview of the Olympics as the unified team is scheduled to actually face Sweden in the second match of Group B.

Sweden is a hockey powerhouse ranked fifth in the world and has advanced to the Olympic semi-finals in the past four consecutive Winter Games.
Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News.