The first-ever joint Korea women's ice hockey team played amid deafening cheers in its debut game at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the conciliatory mood taking precedence in an 8-0 defeat to Switzerland.

The team, comprised of 23 players from the South and 12 players from the North, have become one of the focal points of these Winter Games amid hopes for continued dialogue and easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Although negotiations for rapprochement are still far from a reality, there was no denying the feel-good atmosphere in the arena on Saturday night. The crowd at Kwandong Hockey Centre came alive each time Korea took possession, as did North Korea's all-female cheerleading squad.

Seated within arm's reach of each other, South Korean President Moon Jae In, Kim Yo Jong, the influential younger sister of North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yong Nam, the North's nominal head of state, cheered on.

"For us and for most people, the most significant (event on Saturday) was the joint Korea team," said Mark Adams, the International Olympic Committee's director of communications on Sunday.

"This was a chance, if you like, for trialogue. The president (of the IOC, Thomas Bach,) almost as a bridge sat between the president of the Republic of Korea and the honorary head of state of the DPRK last night and they were talking throughout the hockey," Adams said, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But there were also some signs of a break in unity between the neighboring states, which technically still remain at war after the Korean War ended in an armistice, most notably the stark contrast over the significance of forming a unified Korean team.

At a post-match press conference, North Korean player Jong Su Hyon sang the joint team's praises, saying, "One united is stronger than two divided."

Jong also called the chance to play in front of her country's leaders "the greatest honor," while her South Korean teammate Park Jong Ah remarked, "It was nothing special. We just wanted to perform well in front of the crowd."

Park also dryly pointed out that the last-minute participation of the North Koreans meant some South Korean athletes who had planned to play were ruled out, a fact some South Koreans continue to resent.

Interestingly, the two women ascended the steps together during the opening ceremony to pass the torch to former figure skating Olympic champion Kim Yu Na who lit the cauldron. They also appeared to be at loggerheads about the strength needed to perform that task.

While Park said jokingly that "the steps were long and surprisingly difficult," Jong retorted "it was not difficult in the least."

Some in the arena were apparently taken aback by the North Korean cheerleaders -- the special squad sent by the North Korean leader -- who continued to sing and sway in unison while drowning out music performed by South Korean numbers on a nearby stage.

"I didn't know the right timing to applaud," said one South Korean spectator.

The joint Korea team next plays Sweden on Monday and then faces Japan on Wednesday.