Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of the DPRK

Born into an ordinary office worker’s family in Pyongyang, Pak Man Il was very fond of sports in his primary school days. When he was 11, he joined the table-tennis group of the Pyongyang Students and Children’s Palace to develop his talent.

At that time, during a visit to the palace, President Kim Il Sung saw a table-tennis match between Pak and another member of the group. Then he made up his mind to grow into an excellent table-tennis player to give pleasure to the President.

After distinguishing himself in juvenile competitions at home, he began to act as a table-tennis player of the Amnokgang Sports Club. He got 28 medals, including five golds and eight silvers, in different national games including the national championships held in Juche 70(1981).

It was in Juche 79(1990) that Pak began to work as a table-tennis coach of the sports club. He has since devoted his all to training talented table-tennis players glorifying the country for over 30 years.

He led table-tennis player Kim Hyang Mi to add glory to the country in different international competitions including the 14th Asian Games and ITTF world table-tennis championships and helped her take the second place in the women’s table-tennis singles of the 28^th Olympic Games.

In those days, he was awarded the title of People’s Athlete thanks to the care and trust shown by the Workers’ Party of Korea and after becoming the table-tennis head coach of the sports club, he devoted all his wisdom and enthusiasm to training more excellent players for the national team as soon as possible.

From Juche 103(2014) the women’s table-tennis team of the sports club got a status as the top team, holding the championship in the 13^th People’s Games and other domestic games in the female table-tennis event. Kim Song I, a woman table-tennis player who trained at the sports club, achieved good results in different international competitions including the 17th Asian Games, 22nd Asian table-tennis championships, 53rd ITTF world table-tennis championships and 31st Olympic Games.

Thus, Pak was awarded a citation of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and had the honour of attending the Seventh National Conference of Sportspersons.

He is still invariably taking the lead in training table-tennis players.

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Kim Hyang Mi who was born into an ordinary army officer's family in Hamhung started table tennis at Songnam Primary School in Songchongang District and became a table tennis player of the Amnokgang Sports Club in Juche 78(1989).

She won the women's singles and doubles in the table-tennis event of the DPRK Championships held in Juche 84(1995) to secure her position as a national table-tennis champion.

She fully demonstrated her ability at the 14th Asian Games.

When the score of the DPRK and Japanese teams stood at 2-2 in the semi-finals, Kim Hyang Mi played the match as the last fifth player of her team with a high sense of responsibility to smartly defeat the Japanese opponent, thus making a decisive contribution to her team’s advance to the final.

And in the final with the Chinese team, she beat the world’s top-ranked player 3-0 to greatly contribute to the victory of the DPRK women’s team.

In the table-tennis team event of the Asian Games, she was recorded as a player who won all matches without defeat.

After being awarded the title of People's Athlete under the loving care of the Workers’ Party of Korea, she came second in the women's singles of the table tennis event in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

She took part in four rounds of the women's team event of the World Table Tennis Championships during her playing career and rendered distinguished services to her team's successive advance to the finals.

Since university graduation, she has worked as a table-tennis coach of the Amnokgang Sports Club. She coached Kim Song I to win the women's singles of the Swedish Table Tennis Open in Juche 102(2013) and trained young players to help them succeed in juvenile international games.

She had the honour of having a photo taken with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un at the Seventh National Conference of Sportspersons and is now working hard for the development of the table-tennis technique of the country.

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People’s Athlete Kim Kuk Song is the coach who trained the first world women's wrestling champion of the DPRK.

He is the eldest son of Kim Chol Hwan, the first sports hero and world wrestling champion of the country.

During his playing career at the Pyongyang Sports Club, Kim Kuk Song entered rankings in different national competitions. After graduation from Korea University of Physical Education he became a wrestling coach of the sports club.

As he coached Pak Yong Mi, he devoted his wisdom and passion to bringing her dream into reality, valuing her strong attachment to wrestling.

Under his guidance, Pak won the women's wrestling event of the 18th Asian Games to become a three-time Asian champion and beat a two-time world title holder of Japan in the women's 53kg final of the 2019 WWF World Wrestling Championships.

Kim Kuk Song now works as a coach of the April 25 Combat Sports Team.

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People’s Athlete Kim Jong Su is a famous sportsman who won dozens of medals including eight golds at more than 30 international games such as the Olympic Games, the World Shooting Championships and the Asian Games during his nearly 30-year playing career, thus demonstrating the honour of Juche Korea.

As a pistol shooter of the then April 25 Defence Sports Team, he made his international debut in the Military World Games, and displayed the most distinguished marksmanship in every event and demonstrated the might of the revolutionary army, though he was the youngest participant and had little experience of the games.

He was honoured to be awarded a gold watch under the loving care and trust of Chairman Kim Jong Il. Then he took part in the 13th Asian Games and took the first place in the team event of pistol shooting and won three gold medals.

He also triumphed in the centre-pistol shooting event of the 14^th Asian Games and made a great contribution to the DPRK team’s success in the team event.

After winning the title of People’s Athlete, he made more strenuous efforts and bagged a gold in the air pistol shooting of the 10th Asian Shooting Confederation Asian Shooting Championships and a bronze in the free pistol shooting event of the 28th Olympic Games.

Afterwards, he took part in various international games to exalt the honour of the country and fully demonstrate his ability as a competent pistol shooter.

Kim Jong Su was awarded Kim Jong Il’s citation and was honoured to take part in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the 7th National Conference of Sportspersons and had a photograph taken with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

He is now working as a coach of the Defence Sports Club.

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