Amid escalating military tensions, athletes from South and North Korea stood side-by-side and shook hands on the Asian Games medal podium yesterday just hours after a deadly skirmish on an island near their disputed western border.

The peaceful overtures from the athletes prompted an appeal from the Olympic Council of Asia for teams from both sides to keeping competing at the Guangzhou games, which bring together more than 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and are due to end Saturday.

South Korea's Yun Ok-hee won the women's individual archery gold medal, beating China's Cheng Ming in the final. Kwon Un Sil of North Korea won bronze in the same event, meaning the Korean pair had to share the podium.

Yun and Kwon stood with their hands behind their backs before the medals were presented. But both later shook hands before Yun accepted the gold medal.

At a later news conference, where the moderator tried to restrict questions only to competition, both were soon asked about the military tensions on their divided peninsula.

Kwon said she was unaware about yesterday's military events.

"I just try to do my best in my performance. I don't pay attention to, or care about the situation," said Kwon, also speaking through a translator.

"My goal at this Asian Games, and my only goal, was to win the gold medal. It is not only for my own aspirations but also for our great leader."

Yun told the news conference she had "no comment whatsoever," about the military conflict, but later told South Korea's Yonhap news agency that at least in archery, rival Koreans "have always been on good terms."

"I was hoping Un Sil would reach the gold medal match, and when she ended up in the bronze medal contest, I was cheering for her," Yun was quoted as saying.