Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of the DPRK

Kim Hyok Bong was crowned world champion in table tennis mixed doubles for the first time in the DPRK.

He began his playing career at the April 25 Sports Club in 1994 and was picked out by the national team in 2003.

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Kim Hui Jin picked out Pak Yong Sun and coached her to rise to the peak of the world table tennis. Pak shook the world table tennis circles in the 1970s and won the titles of Labour Hero and People’s Athlete.

Kim was active as a table tennis player at the Korean People’s Army Sports Club in the 1950s and began to work as a table tennis coach at the then February 8 Sports Club in 1960. He selected Pak Yong Sun, a schoolgirl in Sakju, and helped her win the 33rd World Table Tennis Championships.

Working as the women’s table tennis head coach of the national team and secretary general of the DPRK table tennis association, he led the Korean table tennis players to achieve remarkable successes in the Asian and world table tennis championships in the 1980s and 1990s. In recognition of his distinguished services, the state awarded him the titles of Merited Athlete and People’s Athlete in succession.

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Ri Song Hui who cut a conspicuous figure in weightlifting in the 1990s won three Asian championships and two world championships, renewed world records six times and achieved good results in the Olympic Games during her playing career. 

Born in Tongnim County, North Phyongan Province, Ri took up weightlifting in her teens and beat world records in two events and total in her national debut, attracting the attention of experts.

Later, she triumphed in the 58kg category of the 12th Asian women’s weightlifting championships, renewed the world record in the 58kg jerk at the 13th Asian Games in 1998 and broke the world record again in the same event and won the first place in total standings at the 13th world women’s weightlifting championships in November 1999. 

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Ri Se Gwang, a famous artistic gymnast of the DPRK and Labour Hero, won the world championship by performing a technical movement with the highest degree of difficulty that was named “Ri Se Gwang movement” in the world artistic gymnastic circles. This is associated with the devotion of his coach Sin Myong Su.

An artistic gymnast of the then February 8 Sports Club, Sin cut a conspicuous figure in the domestic front in the 1980s and won different international matches including floor and hoop exercises in the international match in 1989 and hoop excise in the 16th Universiad.

He started to work as a gymnastics coach at the April 25 Sports Club in 1999. When he took charge of the training and guidance of game of Ri Se Gwang, he made sure that Ri acquired a technical movement with a high degree of difficulty he created in collaboration with artistic gymnastics experts.

Though the movement lasted only a few seconds, it took Ri five years to perfectly perform the movement in international games.

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Sin Jong Rim won the women’s low board competition of the then First Military World Games and was awarded the title of Merited Athlete.

Some years afterwards she graduated from Korea University of Physical Education and became a diving coach of the April 25 Sports Club. Kim Kuk Hyang was the first player Sin took charge of.

For the only one goal of winning gold medal Sin was always with Kuk Hyang to search for and apply the most effective means and methods to her training, taking her physical and personal characteristics into consideration. In the course of this, Kuk Hyang became the national champion and was admitted to the national team.

Finally, Kuk Hyang won the women’s 10-m platform diving event at the 16th FINA World Championships in her teens to become the first world champion of the event in the DPRK.

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Sol Kyong, who was born of an ordinary railway worker’s family in Pyongyang, started to learn judo in the then sports club of Pyongyang University of Mechanical Engineering in 2001.

She made her international debut in the Universiad held in 2009.

She participated in the women’s 70kg-category judo event at the competition but failed to reach the top three.  

However, she was not depressed at all but trained hard, thus finishing second in the women’s judo 70kg event at the 16th Asian Games held in 2010 and bagging a gold medal in the world cup women’s judo competition in 2012.

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The locals still remember Kil Son Hui, who was active as a forward of the DPRK junior women’s football team.

She began to play football in the football club of then Kilju Primary School, Kilju County. She soon cut a conspicuous figure as she was fast and good at dribbling, so she trained football skills at Kilju County juvenile sports school after a few years.

Later, she was picked out by the Rimyongsu Sports Club.

Quick in action with a broad view of play, she contributed to the team’s win by playing an important role as a forward with a special technique of person-to-person breakthrough.

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For more than 10 years as women’s judo chief coach of the national team, Ri Song Chol had trained Kye Sun Hui, An Kum Ae, Hong Ok Song, Pak Myong Hui, Rim Yun Hui and other judo stars who gained wonderful successes at international events.

Acting as judoist of the Pyongyang Municipal Sports Club from 1975, he acquitted himself well at some local tournaments.

Working as judo coach at the Pyongyang Sports Club after graduating from a university, he coached Ri Myong Hwa to win the 57kg category of the women's judo event at the 2nd Military World Games(at the time) held in 1999 and was awarded the title of Merited Athlete.

He led Hong Ok Song to win gold medals at the 22nd Universiad and 3rd Military World Games in succession after defeating her opponent at the final match in the women’s 57kg judo event of the 14th Asian Games.

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