N. Korea to march behind S. Korea

N. Korea to march behind S. Korea

BANGKOK (AP): The North Koreans will have to walk behind their South Korean rivals during the opening ceremony of the 13th Asian Games because the Thai alphabet is being used in establishing marching positions, an organizer said Saturday.

Santiparb Tejavanija, assistant secretary of the Bangkok Asian Games Organizing Committee, said an advance team from North Korea asked him about the marching procedure Friday.

He said the North Koreans wanted to know who would march first and how far apart the team would be when they entered the Rajamangala Stadium at the opening ceremony Dec. 6.

Santiparb gave no indication that the North Koreans protested the plan, saying it was in keeping with well-established games rules and totally non-political.