This Selfie Is Bringing North and South Korea Together

August 9, 2016 1:30 PM EDT

Millions of selfies are taken each day, but one, taken by two Olympic gymnasts, has captured the world’s attention.

During an Aug. 4 practice session, 17-year-old Lee Eun-Ju of South Korea and 27-year-old Hong Un-Jong of North Korea took a moment to smile together. The simple act has been widely praised around the Internet as an exercise in good sportsmanship, due to their respective nations’ hostile relationship. The act is even more significant this year, after the much publicized tensions between Lebanese athletes refused to share a bus with their Israeli counterparts, and U.S. swimmer Lilly King feuding with Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova.

“This is why we do the Olympics,” wrote TIME columnist Ian Bremmer, reflecting on the image. The tweet has already been shared more than 20,000 times.

Inside the Lives of Two Young North Korean Defectors

70% of the nearly 30,000 North Korean refugees who have made it to South Korea are women. Kyoung-ok arrived in Seoul as a 13 year old in 2009 after escaping North Korea, hiding in a cave in China as authorities rounded North Korean refugees up to send them home during the 2008 Olympic Games, and being smuggled through Vietnam and Cambodia. When asked to describe herself, Kyoung-ok said "I am a tiger. I like to think I can adapt to anything, and that maybe I can be a bit scary too." / The tiger has been a symbol in Korean culture for centuries—in traditional art, it is portrayed as the entire peninsula. Not the DPRK and the ROK, but Korea. This project was made possible with the support of the IU School of Journalism's Ross Hazeltine Scholarship.----Kyong-ok is exhausted as she rides the bus home from school at 7:30 p.m. on March 4, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Students in South Korea often have late school nights, with many studying for up to 16 hours a day. The competitive college preparation environment is overwhelming for Kyong-ok. Instead of looking forward to applying to a university, she attends extra classes for hair and nail design in hopes of working in the beauty field and earning money immediately.Caitlin O'Hara — North Korean refugee Kim Kyoung-ok arrived in Seoul as a 13 year old in 2009. Here, she rides the bus home from school at 7:30 p.m. on March 4, 2015, in Seoul. Caitlin O'Hara

Kyong-ok shows photographs she brought with her on the 10-month journey from North Korea through China, Vietnam and Cambodia on Feb. 1, 2015 in a room cafe in Mia, Seoul, South Korea. They show two of her three sisters, her grandfather in full DPRK military regalia, herself as a child in a North Korean elementary school, among other scenes. For contrast, she also shows glamour shots taken in South Korea. Other than a backpack full of food and a few clothes, these pictures were all that she and her mother brought with them when they left the DPRK. Before they left, one of Kyong-ok's older sisters made her a doll from old clothes, but she wasn't able to bring it with her to make room for more food. Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok shows photographs on Feb. 1, 2015, that she brought with her on the 10-month journey from North Korea through China, Vietnam and Cambodia to South Korea. Other than a backpack full of food and a few clothes, these pictures were all that she and her mother brought with them when they left.Caitlin O'Hara

Donning matching shoes, North Korean refugees Kim Kyong-ok, 19 (Lunar age), and Sarah (English name used in order to protect source), 22, walk arm-in-arm on their way to a Christian church service on Feb. 21, 2015 near Hapjeong, Seoul, South Korea. The women met shortly after they each arrived separately in South Korea at a resettlement camp for refugees. While adjusting to life after North Korea has been challenging, their friendship is a source of strength and solidarity. Caitlin O'Hara — Donning matching shoes, North Korean refugees Kim Kyoung-ok, and Sarah walk arm-in-arm on their way to a Christian church service on Feb. 21, 2015 near Hapjeong, Seoul, South Korea. The women met shortly after they each arrived separately in South Korea at a resettlement camp for refugees. Caitlin O'Hara

Kyong-ok and Sarah spend time on their phones after sharing takeout for dinner at Kyong-ok's apartment on Feb. 28, 2015 in Mia, Seoul, South Korea. Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok and Sarah spend time on their phones after sharing takeout for dinner at Kyoung-ok's apartment on Feb. 28, 2015 in Mia, Seoul, South Korea. Caitlin O'Hara

Kyoung-ok receives news that a close friend and fellow young North Korean refugee is pregnant on March 10, 2015 in her apartment in Mia, Seoul, South Korea. Abortion is illegal and single motherhood is highly stigmatized in South Korean culture. It can be a cause to lose a job or support from one's family and support system. The friend, who chose not to be identified for her safety, struggles with her mental health and has had a difficult time adjusting to life in South Korea. Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok receives news that a close friend and fellow young North Korean refugee is pregnant on March 10, 2015 in her apartment in Mia, Seoul, South Korea— a country that ostracizes unmarried mothers. The friend, who chose not to be identified for her safety, struggles has had a difficult time adjusting to life in South Korea. Caitlin O'Hara

Kyoung-ok and Sarah spend time at a norebang (singing room) on Feb. 4, 2015 near Yangjae, Seoul, South Korea. When Kyong-ok first arrived in the South, it was difficult to make friends. Her fifth-grade classmates were suspicious of her, asking her whether she was a communist or a spy. South Koreans believe that North Koreans are confrontational, violent and untrustworthy. In order to make friends, Kyong-ok went to her neighborhood norebang and knocked on the doors of rooms with fellow kids, making friends boldy and quickly. Her mother is a music teacher in Changwon, South Korea (and was, too, in North Korea), and she has a confident, strong singing voice. Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok and Sarah spend time at a norebang (singing room) on Feb. 4, 2015 near Yangjae, Seoul, South Korea. Caitlin O'Hara

Kyoung-ok smokes on her balcony on Feb. 28, 2015 in Mia, Seoul, South Korea. Now in her third year of high school, she began smoking almost immediately after she arrived in South Korea when she was 13. Feeling alienated as a refugee, she wanted to fit in with her 5th-grade classmates who smoked. Smoking is common among South Korean students due to competitiveness and stress due to long school days and high performance expectations. Students in South Korea often go to school for twelve hours a day.Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok smokes on her balcony on Feb. 28, 2015 in Mia, Seoul, South Korea.Caitlin O'Hara

Kyoung-ok looks at herself after her aunt cuts and styles her hair in her salon in Seoul, South Korea. She is training to be a hair and nail designer and helps her aunt out when she can. In North Korea, there is little room for self-expression in hair styles, where acceptable styles are sanctioned, but Seoul has quickly become a beauty and style world-capital.Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok looks receives a haircut and style in her aunt's salon in Seoul, South Korea. She is training to be a hair and nail designer and helps her aunt out when she can. In North Korea, there is little room for self-expression in hair styles, where acceptable styles are sanctioned.Caitlin O'Hara

Kyoung-ok plays pool with Christian King of Liberia, left, and Jerry Alexander of Canada, right, at Club Zion, a Jamaican bar, on March 19 in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea. After not meeting many foreigners as a child, Kyong-ok loves to visit Itaewon, which is a foreigner-heavy neighborhood close to the United States Army Garrison, to meet people from different places and try foreign food ("But it's so sweet and salty with no spicy flavor"). She especially loves spaghetti, gyros and American breakfast.Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok plays pool with Christian King of Liberia, left, and Jerry Alexander of Canada, right, at Club Zion, a Jamaican bar, on March 19 in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea. Kyoung-ok loves to visit Itaewon, which is a foreigner-heavy neighborhood, to meet people from different places and sample foreign food.Caitlin O'Hara

Kyong-ok zips up Sarah's jacket, which she borrowed from her brother, during a night out Feb. 4, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. The community of North Korean refugees is growing smaller and more tight knit with the help of social networks and human rights groups. Caitlin O'Hara — Kyoung-ok zips up Sarah's jacket during a night out Feb. 4, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. The community of North Korean refugees is growing more tight knit with the help of social networks and human rights groups. Caitlin O'Hara

Both gymnasts entered as individual qualifiers and were seen laughing and chatting before competing. The Rio Summer Olympics is Lee’s first Olympics competition, while Hong earned a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During the qualifying round, Hong Un-Jong advanced while Lee Eun-Ju finished in 57th at the uneven bars.

Inside the Lives of Two Young North Korean Defectors

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