March 28, 2024
KCNA Pyongyang Times

Three-time world Taekwon-Do champion

Date: 27/02/2021 | Source: Pyongyang Times | Read original version at source

A Taekwon-Doist stood on the winner’s rostrum at the 10th ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships held in Russia in 1997 amid warm applause from experts and fans. Though she sustained an arm injury during her first match in the women’s 63kg-category individual sparring, she managed to advance to the finals and finally won a gold medal. She was Kim Yong Sun (pictured) from the DPRK.

As she played the difficult first match against a German due to a fracture of the right humerus, spectators thought she would be unable to have the next bout.

However, she defeated all the opponents with her arm injured, making a deep impression on everyone.

“None of us could even imagine her advancing to the finals with the injury. What amazed even us men were her great mental strength, high sense of game play, outstanding physical abilities and remarkable skills,” said People’s Athlete Jong Hwi Song who accompanied her to the championships at that time.

Born in Huichon of Jagang Province, she acquired basic skills of Taekwon-Do faster than others and distinguished herself in sparring in particular.

She made her international debut at the 8th ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships in her teens and bagged four golds including the one for the 58kg-category individual sparring. Afterwards, she won all the individual and team events at the 1st ITF Asia-Pacific Taekwon-Do Championships.

She took the world championship for the third time at the 63kg-category individual sparring of the 11th ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships in Argentina in 1999.

She snatched a total of 18 gold medals in individual and team events during her playing career.

The seventh-dan Taekwon-Do master is People’s Athlete and a Class-A international referee.

She is now instructing girls in the Korean martial art at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren’s Palace.

“I will devote my all to imbuing schoolchildren with the soul and spirit of Taekwon-Do, a traditional martial art of our nation,” said Kim Yong Sun.

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