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North Korean table tennis players may be punished for Olympic podium selfie with rivals from South

Kim Kum-yong and Ri Jong-sik reportedly placed under ‘ideological scrutiny’ and could face punishment if they fail to criticise inappropriate behaviour

For most observers, it was proof of sport’s ability, if only for a fleeting moment, to bring people together – even when they live on opposite sides of one of the world’s most heavily armed borders.

But one of the most celebrated images of the Paris Olympics – a selfie taken by medal-winning table tennis players from either side of the divided Korean peninsula – appears to have landed the North Korea duo in trouble back home.

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