Olympic history of North Korea
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North Korea (official name Democratic People's Republic of Korea ), whose NOK , the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , was founded in 1953 andrecognizedby the IOC in1957, has been participating in the Olympic Games since 1964. North Korea is one of the few countries whose Olympic premiere took place at the Winter Games. The country first took part in the Summer Games in 1972. In 1984 North Korea followed the socialist countries' call to boycott the Los Angeles Games. In 1988 the Summer Games, which were held in the capital of neighboring South Korea, Seoul , wereboycotted. Young athletes have taken part in both of the Youth Olympic Games that have been held so far.
General
North Korea's first Olympic athletes were cross-country skiers Yang Duk-soon and Kim Ko-am on January 30, 1964, and thus the first women in the country, speed skaters Ryoo Choon-za and Han Pil-hwa . Han also won the first North Korean Olympic medal with silver over 3000 meters. The marksman Ri Ho-jun became the first North Korean Olympic champion in 1972 with the small-bore rifle in the prone position. The first female Olympic champion was the judoka Kye Sun-hui in 1996 , who won the extra light weight.
The neighboring country of South Korea has participated in the Olympic Games since 1948. For the first time, athletes from both countries met at the 1972 Olympic boxing tournament. In the second round of the light flyweight division, the North Korean Kim U-gil met the South Korean Lee Seog-un. Kim won on points and won the silver medal in Munich.
North Korea boycotted the 1988 Summer Games, which were held in Seoul . In late 1985, North Korea asked to be involved in hosting the Games. Eleven of the 23 Olympic sports were to be played in North Korea. In addition, a separate opening and closing ceremony should be held. The teams of North and South Korea should compete together. However, negotiations with the IOC failed. The event was limited to South Korea and Seoul alone. The North Korean government then decided to boycott the Seoul Games.
At the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, North and South Korean athletes ran together for the first time at the opening ceremony. For this purpose, a specially created flag, the Korean Union flag , was used. However, there was no united team. In 2004 in Athens the common invasion was repeated. At the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, both teams ran together for a third time.
It was not until the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang that there was a common invasion with the union flag. Aside from ice hockey, the athletes competed for their countries as they did in previous Olympic Games. A team from South and North Korea was formed in women's ice hockey. The team consisted of 35 players, 12 of whom came from North Korea. The team could not win any of the five tournament games and finished last.
Overview
Summer games
The marksman Ri Ho-jun became North Korea's first Olympic champion in 1972 in Munich. He won the prone position with the small bore rifle. Boxer Kim U-gil won silver in the light flyweight division, while freestyle wrestler Kim Gwong-hyong won bronze in the flyweight division. The judoka Kim Yong-ik also won bronze in the lightweight. The women's volleyball team qualified for the semifinals and lost 3-1 to the Soviet Union. The bronze game was played against South Korea. North Korea won 3-0. In archery, Kim Ho-gyu took 7th place in the women's competition.
In 1976 boxer Gu Yong-ju became Olympic bantamweight champion. Li Byong-uk won silver light flyweight. Jang Sun-yong finished fourth in archery. Ri Ho-hun started in Montreal in the three-position fight and finished sixth. The men's soccer team reached the quarter-finals after one win and one loss. The North Koreans lost 5-0 against Poland.
In Moscow in 1980 the North Korean team remained without an Olympic victory. Jang Se-hong light flyweight and Li Ho-pyong bantamweight won two silver medals in freestyle wrestling. Another silver medal went to flyweight weightlifter Ho Bong-chol. Han Gyong-si took bronze in the same weight class. Boxer Li Byong-uk also won bronze in the light flyweight division. The marksman So Gil-san finished fourth with the free pistol. In archery, Gwang Sung-o took 5th place among women.
After the two boycotted summer games in Los Angeles and Seoul, North Korea entered the most successful Olympic Games in its history in Barcelona in 1992. The freestyle wrestlers presented two Olympic champions with Kim Il-ong in light flyweight and Li Hak-son in flyweight. In addition, Kim Yong-sik won a bronze bantamweight medal. Boxer Choi Chol-su became Olympic flyweight champion, his teammate Li Gwang-sik won bronze in bantamweight. The apparatus gymnast Pae Gil-su shared his gold medal on the pommel horse with the Soviet gymnast Wital Schcherba . In table tennis, Li Bun-hui won bronze in the women’s singles and with her partner Yu Sun-bok in the women’s doubles. Weightlifter Kim Myong-nam won bronze in the middleweight division. In the light heavyweight division, Chon Chol-ho was fourth. Although the Russian Ibragim Samadow, who started for the United Team of the Former Soviet Republics, was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct during the award ceremony, as this disqualification was not related to the competition itself, the bronze medal was not passed on to fourth-placed Chon. The track and field athlete Mun Gyong-ae took 6th place in the marathon.
In Atlanta 1996 five medals were won. In the extra light weight of the women's judo tournament, Kye Sun-hui became the first North Korean Olympic champion. The freestyle wrestler Kim Il-ong was able to defend his Olympic victory in light flyweight. Li Yong-sam won the bantamweight bronze medal. In the Greco-Roman style, Kang Yong-gyun reached fourth place in the light flyweight division. The weightlifter Kim Myong-nam had switched to lightweight and won silver there. In the middleweight division, Chon Chol-ho won bronze.
In 2000 in Sydney there was no Olympic victory. The weightlifter Ri Song-hui won silver in the lightweight. Kang Yong-gyun won North Korea's first medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. He won bronze in the bantamweight division. Also bronze went to the boxer Kim Un-chol in the light flyweight division and the judoka Kye Sun-hui, who this time competed in the light weight division. In athletics, the marathon runner Ham Bong-sil came in eighth. In apparatus gymnastics, Pae Gil-su qualified for the final on the pommel horse. He finished fifth. The archer Choe Ok-sil, who knocked out Barbara Mensing from Germany in the round of 16 , lost the semifinals against the South Korean Kim Nam-soon and the match for bronze against Kim Soo-nyung , also from South Korea.
There was no Olympic victory in Athens in 2004 either. Four silver medals by the boxer Kim Song-guk in the featherweight, the weightlifter Ri Song-hui in the lightweight, the judoka Kye Sun-hui in the lightweight and the table tennis player Kim Hyang-mi in the women's singles stood at the end of the day. In addition, there is a bronze medal by the marksman Kim Jong-su with the free pistol.
Olympic victories could not be celebrated again until 2008 in Beijing. The gymnast Hong Un-jong became Olympic champion on the floor. The weightlifter Pak Hyon-suk won the middleweight division, while O Jong-ae won silver in the women's lightweight division. The original silver medalist, the Russian Marina Schainowa , was subsequently disqualified in August 2016. O Jong-ae, originally third, received the silver medal. The North Korean judoka won three medals. Among the women, An Kum-ae won silver in the half-light weight category and Won Ok-im won bronze in the light-middle weight category. In the men's category, Pak Chol-min took bronze in the half-light weight category. The marksman Jo Yong-suk was sixth with the sport pistol, the archer Kwon Un-sil fourth in the individual. In synchronized high diving, the water divers Choe Kum-hui and Kim Un-hyang reached 6th place. The women's soccer team was eliminated after the preliminary round. Among other things, they lost 1-0 to Germany.
Four gold and two bronze medals made the 2012 London Games the second most successful summer games for North Korea. Olympic champions were the judoka An Kum-ae in the half- light weight and the weightlifter Om Yun-chol in the bantamweight, Kim Un-guk in the featherweight and, for women, Rim Jong-sim in the light-heavyweight division. In the women's flyweight division, Ryang Chun-hwa took bronze. The lightweight Kim Mong-hyok took 4th place. The second bronze medal went to the featherweight freestyle wrestler Yang Kyong-il . As four years before, the women's soccer team failed again in the preliminary round.
In Rio de Janeiro 2016 the gymnast Ri Se-gwang became Olympic champion in horse jumping. Weightlifter Rim Jong-sim was again Olympic champion, this time in the heavyweight division. Choe Hyo-sim in the middleweight division and Kim Kuk-hyang in the super heavyweight division and Om Yun-chol in the men's bantamweight division won silver. Bronze medals were won by sports shooter Kim Song-guk with a free pistol and table tennis player Kim Song-i in the women's singles. In women's gymnastics, Hong Un-jong, 2008 Olympic champion, again reached the apparatus final in horse jumping. She took 6th place. The water divers Kim Kuk-hyang (not related to the weightlifter) and Kim Un-hyang took 4th place in the synchronized high diving. In the individual jumping from the tower, Kim Un-hyang came in seventh.
Ri Ho-jun, North Korea's first Olympic champion 
Pak Hyon-suk, 2008 Olympic champion 
Women's table tennis quarter-finals 2016: Kim Song-i (blue) beats Yu Mengyu from Singapore
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Winter games
North Korea's first appearance on the Olympic stage happened at the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck. The speed skater Han Pil-hwa succeeded in winning the first ever Olympic medal in North Korea. She ran over 3000 meters to the silver medal. Her teammate Kim Song-soon finished fourth over 1500 meters. Not until 1972 did winter sports enthusiasts start again. The team consisted only of speed skaters, including Han Pil-hwa, who was ninth over 3000 meters.
It would be another twelve years before North Korea participated in the Winter Games again. In 1984 a pure speed skating team was sent again. Also in 1988 the speed skaters made up the largest contingent next to two figure skaters. Alpine skiing and short track were new to North Korea's Olympic winter program in 1992. The short tracker Hwang Ok-sil won bronze over 500 meters.
In the period that followed, no further successes could be achieved. In 2002 and 2014, no Olympic team was sent to Salt Lake City or Sochi.
Youth games
Eleven teenagers, five boys and six girls, took part in the sports of athletics, weightlifting, judo, swimming, table tennis and water jumping at the first 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. The athletes won five medals. Youth Olympic champion became the bantamweight weightlifter Kim Song-chul. The judoka Hyon Song-chol won silver in the lightweight. Three bronze medals were won by girls, by weightlifter Kim Kuk-hyang in heavyweight, judoka Ri Un-ju in lightweight and water diver Sin Ji-hyang in high diving.
In the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing , six teenagers took part, three boys and three girls. The athletes competed in weightlifting, rowing and wrestling and were able to win five medals. The weightlifter Pak Jong-ju became a youth bantamweight Olympic champion. Also Olympic champions were the wrestler Ri Se-ung in the flyweight of the Greco-Roman style and the girls Kim Son-hyang in the flyweight of the freestyle. Weightlifters won two silver medals, Ri Song-gum in flyweight and Jong Chun-hui in bantamweight.
IOC members
In 1996, the politician Ung Chang was elected an IOC member. He is a member of the commissions for public relations, culture and social activities.
Overview of the participants
Summer games
| year | Athletes | Flag bearer | sports | Medals | ||||||||||||||||||||
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total | rank | ||
| 1896-1968 | not participated | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972 | 37 | 23 | 14th | Kim Man-dok | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6th | 3 | 3 | 11 | 6th | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 22nd | |||||
| 1976 | 38 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6th | 2 | 15th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 21st | |||||||||
| 1980 | 47 | 39 | 8th | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6th | 4th | 12 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 26th | |||||||||
| 1984-1988 | not participated | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | 64 | 36 | 28 | Kim Gil-nam | 3 | 10 | 4th | 6th | 3 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 8th | 3 | 4th | 4th | 5 | 9 | 16 | |||||
| 1996 | 24 | 15th | 9 | Chae Ra-u | 4th | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7th | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 33 | ||||||
| 2000 | 31 | 14th | 17th |
Pak Jung-chul (North Korea) Chung Eun-soon (South Korea) |
6th | 4th | 4th | 1 | 4th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4th | 60 | ||||||
| 2004 | 36 | 13 | 23 |
Kim Song-ho (North Korea) Ku Min-jung (South Korea) |
4th | 4th | 1 | 2 | 6th | 8th | 3 | 4th | 4th | 4th | 1 | 5 | 57 | |||||||
| 2008 | 58 | 21st | 37 | Pang Mun-il | 6th | 7th | 3 | 1 | 7th | 2 | 6th | 2 | 13 | 5 | 4th | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6th | 31 | |||
| 2012 | 52 | 15th | 37 | Pak Song-chol | 5 | 8th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18th | 6th | 3 | 2 | 4th | 2 | 6th | 21st | |||||
| 2016 | 31 | 11 | 20th | Choe Jon-wi | 4th | 7th | 4th | 3 | 2 | 4th | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7th | 34 | ||||||
| total | 16 | 16 | 22nd | 54 | 39 | |||||||||||||||||||
Winter games
| year | Athletes | Flag bearer | sports | Medals | |||||||||||
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| total | m | w |
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total | rank | ||
| 1924-1960 | not participated | ||||||||||||||
| 1964 | 13 | 6th | 7th | 9 | 4th | 1 | 1 | 13 | |||||||
| 1968 | not participated | ||||||||||||||
| 1972 | 6th | 0 | 6th | 6th | |||||||||||
| 1976-1980 | not participated | ||||||||||||||
| 1984 | 6th | 3 | 3 | Ri Im-am | 6th | ||||||||||
| 1988 | 6th | 3 | 3 | Ri Im-am | 4th | 2 | |||||||||
| 1992 | 20th | 9 | 11 | 5 | 4th | 6th | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 19th | ||||
| 1994 | not participated | ||||||||||||||
| 1998 | 8th | 2 | 6th | Yun Chol | 2 | 6th | |||||||||
| 2002 | not participated | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | 6th | 2 | 4th |
Han Jong-in (North Korea) Lee Bo-ra (South Korea) |
4th | 6th | |||||||||
| 2010 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Ri Song-chol | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2014 | not participated | ||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Hwang Chung-gum (North Korea) Won Yun-jong (South Korea) |
3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | ||||||
| total | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 37 | ||||||||||
List of medal winners
Summer games
Gold medals
| Surname | Games | sport | discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ri Ho-jun | 1972 Munich | shoot | Small caliber rifle lying
Men's tournament |
| Gu Yong-ju | 1976 Montreal | Boxing | Bantamweight |
| Choi Chol-su | 1992 Barcelona | Boxing | Flyweight |
| Kim Il-ong | 1992 Barcelona | Wrestling | Light flyweight freestyle |
| Li Hak-son | 1992 Barcelona | Wrestling | Flyweight freestyle |
| Pae Gil-su | 1992 Barcelona | do gymnastics | Pommel horse |
| Kim Il-ong | 1996 Atlanta | Wrestling | Light flyweight freestyle |
| Kye Sun-hui | 1996 Atlanta | Judo | Extra light weight |
| Hong Un-jong | 2008 Beijing | do gymnastics | ground |
| Pak Hyon-suk | 2008 Beijing | Weightlifting | medium weight |
| Om Yun-chol | 2012 London | Weightlifting | Bantamweight |
| Kim Un-guk | 2012 London | Weightlifting | Featherweight |
| Rim Jong-sim | 2012 London | Weightlifting | Light heavyweight |
| To Kum-ae | 2012 London | Judo | Half light weight |
| Ri Se-gwang | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | do gymnastics | Horse jump |
| Rim Jong-sim | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Weightlifting | Heavyweight |
Silver medals
| Surname | Games | sport | discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim U-gil | 1972 Munich | Boxing | Light flyweight |
| Li Byong-uk | 1976 Montreal | Boxing | Light flyweight |
| Jang Se-hong | 1980 Moscow | Wrestling | Light flyweight freestyle |
| Li Ho-pyong | 1980 Moscow | Wrestling | Bantamweight freestyle |
| Ho Bong-chol | 1980 Moscow | Weightlifting | Flyweight |
| Kim Myong-nam | 1996 Atlanta | Weightlifting | lightweight |
| Ri Song-hui | 2000 Sydney | Weightlifting | lightweight |
| Kim Song-guk | 2004 Athens | Boxing | Featherweight |
| Kye Sun-hui | 2004 Athens | Judo | lightweight |
| Ri Song-hui | 2004 Athens | Weightlifting | lightweight |
| Kim Hyang-mi | 2004 Athens | Table tennis | Ladies singles |
| O Jong-ae | 2008 Beijing | Weightlifting | lightweight |
| To Kum-ae | 2008 Beijing | Judo | Half light weight |
| Om Yun-chol | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Weightlifting | Bantamweight |
| Choe Hyo-sim | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Weightlifting | medium weight |
| Kim Kuk-hyang | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Weightlifting | Super heavyweight |
Bronze medals
Winter games
Gold medals
So far (as of 2018) no gold medals
Silver medals
| Surname | Games | sport | discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Han Pil-hwa | 1964 Innsbruck | Speed skating | 3000 meters |
Bronze medals
| Surname | Games | sport | discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hwang Ok-sil | 1992 Albertville | Short track | 500 meters |
Medals by sport
Summer games
| sport | gold | silver | bronze | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weightlifting | 5 | 8th | 4th | 17th |
| Wrestling | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Boxing | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8th |
| Judo | 2 | 2 | 4th | 8th |
| do gymnastics | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| shoot | 1 | - | 2 | 3 |
| Table tennis | - | 1 | 3 | 4th |
| volleyball | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| total | 16 | 16 | 22nd | 54 |
Winter games
| sport | gold | silver | bronze | total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed skating | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Short track | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| total | - | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Web links
- North Korea in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
- North Korea on Olympic.org - The Official website of the Olympic movement (English)
Individual evidence
| Summer: |
1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1996 • 2000 • 2004 • 2008 • 2012 • 2016 |
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| Winter: |
1964 • 1968 • 1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1994 • 1998 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 2014 • 2018 1 |
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Youth games: |
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| Others: |
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