S. Korean veterans more than just sideshow in table tennis with N. Koreans

DAEJEON, July 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean table tennis veterans set to team up with North Koreans this week said Monday they don't want to just be part of a sideshow. Lee Sang-su in the men's doubles and Suh Hyo-won in the women's doubles want to win, too. The Koreas will field unified teams in men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Platinum Korea Open in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. The qualification matches will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the knockout phase starting on Thursday for a four-day run. Lee, the elder statesman on the men's team at 27, will team up with North Korea's Pak Sin-hyok. Suh, the oldest South Korean women's player at 31, will play doubles with Kim Song-i from the North. Aside from their age and experience, they're also the top-ranked male and female players for South Korea -- with Lee at No. 7 and Suh at No. 13. After his first practice with Pak, Lee said he felt like he'd already developed a strong rapport with the North Korean partner. "We had some discussions about our strategies," said Lee, who won the men's doubles silver medal at the 2016 Korea Open. "It still hasn't hit me yet I am playing with a North Korean athlete. Hopefully, we'll be able to win the gold medal here and chant, 'We are one,' like the North Korean mixed doubles players did at the 2014 Asian Games." Suh and Kim are already familiar with one another. They were both members of the unified Korean women's team that won bronze at the world team championships in May in Sweden. They didn't play doubles two months ago -- the team match only featured singles -- and Suh said she's looking forward to playing with Kim, who won bronze in the singles at the 2016 Olympics. "North Korean coach (Kim Jin-myong) said we should at least reach the round of 16, and so that's where we're going to aim for now," she said. "I think we have good chemistry as defenders, and we're also strong on the attack." jeeho@yna.co.kr (END)