North Koreans baffled by mushing neighbors

By Jon Herskovitz

MOUNT KUMGANG, North Korea (Reuters) - Neither war, armed troops or befuddled border guards could stop South Korean dog sled teams from going to North Korea and mushing on Sunday where none of them have mushed before.

About 80 dogs from the South made what is almost certainly the largest canine crossing of the heavily armed border for the race at the Mount Kumgang resort, which is run by an affiliate of the South's Hyundai Group.

With nary a snowflake on the course, about 35 dog teams pulled sleds on wheels along a coastal road with the scenic Diamond Mountain range as a backdrop.

No North Koreans competed. The few who saw the race were soldiers standing at wind-swept guard posts.

In the impoverished north, dogs are known as man's best friend for very different reasons than the West.

"The North Koreans think dogs are for eating, and not for sport," said Yunis Cho, one of the South Korean dog sled racers.

The Kumgang resort is supposed to be a place that brings people closer together from the two countries that technically have not ended their 1950-1953 war.

But the dog race showed just how far they have drifted apart.