Over the past 10 years, Korean sportspersons have won over 1 920 medals including more than 910 golds in international competitions, bringing glory and honour to their country and demonstrating its dignity and might.
Women footballers lifted trophies at the 2015 EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup and the FIFA U-20 and U-17 Women’s World Cups in 2016 and 2024.
Rim Jong Sim, Om Yun Chol, Kang Hyon Gyong, Ri Song Gum, Kim Il Gyong, Ri Suk, Ri Chong Song and other weightlifters came to prominence at the 31st Olympic Games and the 2024 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, renewing world records and winning gold medals.
In particular, women’s weightlifters increased the number of their world records from 2 to 14 and snatched more than 100 medals including 70 gold medals in a little more than a year. This has been hailed as an unprecedented success in the world weightlifting circles.
Ri Se Gwang flawlessly performed a series of technical movements with high degrees of difficulty at the 31st Olympic Games, the 48th FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and other international games. This earned him fame as an Olympic gold medalist, three-time world champion, a world gymnastic star and a vaulting horse king.
Pang Chol Mi bagged gold medals at the World Women’s Boxing Championships in 2018 and 2025 and other games, emerging as a world-class boxer.
Pak Yong Mi defeated her Japanese rival 12-1 in the women’s 53kg category finals of the 2019 World Wrestling Championships to become the first woman world wrestling champion of the country and Kim Kuk Hyang came first in the women’s 10m platform event of the 16th FINA Diving World Series.
Taekwon-Do players took the first place in national standings at ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships from the 19th to the 22nd rounds and won more than 310 gold medals at the 9th International Martial Arts Games, the 10th Asian Taekwon-Do Championships and other competitions.
Korean athletes were also successful at the 33rd Olympic Games, the 2024 Asian Table-tennis Championships, the 37th CIMS World Military Wrestling Championships and other events with their excellent physical and technical abilities and stubborn fighting spirit.
Over the decade coaches Kim Chun Hui and Ro Hyon Chol and player Ri Se Gwang were awarded the title of Labour Hero, the highest honour for a DPRK citizen, while over 30 others won the title of People's Athlete and over 150 the title of Merited Athlete.
Kim Pong Ju
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