South Korea to Approach North on Joint Judo Team

South Korea will once again try to talk North Korea into forming a joint judo team for the Athens Olympics next year, the Korea Judo Association (KJA) said yesterday. “I think we can discuss the joint team issue while talking about various issues connected with the Athens Olympics,’’ said KJA president Kim Jung-haeng, who will visit Pyongyang next week.

Kim tried to form a joint team for the 2003 World Judo Championships, held in Osaka, Japan, from Sept. 11 to 15, but Pyongyang didn’t reply to the KJA’s official proposal.

Around 1,000 South Koreans, including Kim, will visit Pyongyang on Monday to attend the opening ceremony of a gymnasium named after Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung.

Hyundai’s North Korea business arm, Hyundai Asan, invited Kim and other sports leaders to the opening of the gymnasium, which can host basketball, judo, table tennis, volleyball and the Korean traditional sport `ssirum.’

Kim said he will also ask the North to participate in the 2003 Asian Judo Championships, to be held on South Korea’s scenic Cheju island from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.

“I will make the point to the North that they have to score points in the championships if they want to make the Asian quota for the Athens Olympics,’’ Kim said.

The KJA expects more than 400 athletes from 38 countries will participate in the championships. Application forms should have been received by the organizing committee by Sept. 30, but the KJA said late entries are also possible.