North Korea at the Olympics

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (commonly known as North Korea) first participated at the Olympic Games in 1964. The National Olympic Committee for North Korea is the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and was created in 1953 and recognized in 1957.

North Korea at the
Olympics
IOC codePRK
NOCOlympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Medals
Ranked 50th
Gold
16
Silver
19
Bronze
28
Total
63
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
 Korea (2018)
North Koreans head for lodging at the Rio 2016 Olympic Village.

History

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North Korea's first Olympic appearance was in the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria. The nation participated in its first Summer Olympic Games eight years later at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Since then, the nation has appeared in every Summer Games, except when North Korea joined the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics, when they boycotted the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea, and in 2020, citing COVID-19 concerns.[1]

North Korea's attendance at the Winter Games has been sporadic; eight of the last thirteen Games have included a North Korean team.

During the 1998-2007 Sunshine Policy era, North Korea and South Korea symbolically marched as one team at the opening ceremonies of the 2000,[2] 2004, and 2006 Olympics, but competed separately.

North Korea sent 22 athletes to compete in five sports at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As in 2000 and 2004, North and South Korean athletes marched together at the opening ceremonies. A unified women's ice hockey team included players from both North and South Korea. North Korean athletes also competed in alpine skiing, figure skating, short track speed skating and cross-country skiing.[3]

Alongside the 22 athletes, North Korea sent a delegation of 400 supporters to the 2018 games. This delegation, led by North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam, included cheerleaders, taekwondo practitioners and an orchestra.[4]

North Korean athletes have won a total of 63 medals, two of which were won at the Winter Games. Government funding plays a major role in Korea's success. Elite athletes often enjoy highly developed facilities and luxurious lifestyles, compared with their peers.[1]

In 2018, the United Nations, due to conflicts, rejected an exemption to sanctions for sporting equipment to help athletes prepare for the 2020 Summer Olympics being sent to North Korea.[5]

On 6 April 2021, North Korea announced it would not participate in the 2020 Summer Olympics due to COVID-19 concerns.[6] Because the Olympic Charter mandates members' participation, the International Olympic Committee suspended North Korea from its activities until the end of 2022, thus prohibiting the country from participating in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[7]

Medal tables

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Medals by Summer Games

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Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1932–1936 occupied by   Japan (JPN)
1972 Munich 37 1 1 3 5 22
1976 Montreal 38 1 1 0 2 21
1980 Moscow 57 0 3 2 5 26
1984 Los Angeles did not participate
1988 Seoul
1992 Barcelona 64 4 0 5 9 16
1996 Atlanta 24 2 1 2 5 33
2000 Sydney 31 0 1 3 4 60
2004 Athens 36 0 4 1 5 57
2008 Beijing 63 2 2 2 6 34
2012 London 51 4 0 3 7 20
2016 Rio de Janeiro 31 2 3 2 7 34
2020 Tokyo did not participate
2024 Paris 16 0 2 4 6 68
2028 Los Angeles future event
2032 Brisbane
Total 16 18 27 61 47

Medals by Winter Games

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Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank
1964 Innsbruck 13 0 1 0 1 13
1968 Grenoble did not participate
1972 Sapporo 6 0 0 0 0 -
1976 Innsbruck did not participate
1980 Lake Placid
1984 Sarajevo 6 0 0 0 0 -
1988 Calgary 6 0 0 0 0 -
1992 Albertville 20 0 0 1 1 19
1994 Lillehammer did not participate
1998 Nagano 8 0 0 0 0 -
2002 Salt Lake City did not participate
2006 Turin 6 0 0 0 0 -
2010 Vancouver 2 0 0 0 0 -
2014 Sochi did not participate
2018 Pyeongchang 10 0 0 0 0 -
2022 Beijing did not participate (suspended)
2026 Milano Cortina future event
Total 0 1 1 2 45

Medals by summer sport

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SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
  Weightlifting58518
  Wrestling32510
  Gymnastics3003
  Boxing2338
  Judo2248
  Shooting1023
  Table tennis0235
  Diving0112
  Volleyball0011
Totals (9 entries)16182458

Medals by winter sport

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SportGoldSilverBronzeTotal
  Speed skating0101
  Short track speed skating0011
Totals (2 entries)0112

List of medalists

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Summer Olympics

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Games Medal Name Sport Event
1972 Munich   Gold Ri Ho-jun   Shooting Mixed 50 metre rifle, prone
  Silver Kim U-gil   Boxing Men's light flyweight
  Bronze Kim Yong-ik   Judo Men's 63 kg
Ri Chun-ok
Kim Myong-suk
Kim Zung-bok
Kang Ok-sun
Kim Yeun-ja
Hwang He-suk
Jang Ok-rim
Paek Myong-suk
Ryom Chun-ja
Kim Su-dae
Jong Ok-jin
  Volleyball Women's tournament
Kim Gwong-hyong   Wrestling Men's freestyle 52 kg
1976 Montreal   Gold Gu Yong-ju   Boxing Men's bantamweight
  Silver Ri Byong-uk Men's light flyweight
1980 Moscow   Silver Jang Se-hong   Wrestling Men's freestyle 48 kg
Li Ho-pyong Men's freestyle 57 kg
Ho Bong-chol   Weightlifting Men's 52 kg
  Bronze Han Gyong-si Men's 52 kg
Ri Byong-uk   Boxing Men's light flyweight
1992 Barcelona   Gold Choi Chol-su   Boxing Men's flyweight
Pae Gil-su   Gymnastics Men's pommel horse
Kim Il   Wrestling Men's freestyle 48 kg
Ri Hak-son Men's freestyle 52 kg
  Bronze Kim Yong-sik Men's freestyle 57 kg
Ri Gwang-sik   Boxing Men's bantamweight
Ri Pun-hui
Yu Sun-bok
  Table tennis Women's doubles
Ri Pun-hui Women's singles
Kim Myong-nam   Weightlifting Men's 75 kg
1996 Atlanta   Gold Kye Sun-hui   Judo Women's 48 kg
Kim Il   Wrestling Men's freestyle 48 kg
  Silver Kim Myong-nam   Weightlifting Men's 70 kg
  Bronze Jon Chol-ho Men's 76 kg
Ri Yong-sam   Wrestling Men's freestyle 57 kg
2000 Sydney   Silver Ri Song-hui   Weightlifting Women's 58 kg
  Bronze Kim Un-chol   Boxing Men's light flyweight
Kye Sun-hui   Judo Women's 52 kg
Kang Yong-gyun   Wrestling Men's Greco-Roman 54 kg
2004 Athens   Silver Kim Song-guk   Boxing Men's featherweight
Kye Sun-hui   Judo Women's lightweight
Kim Hyang-mi   Table tennis Women's singles
Ri Song-Hui   Weightlifting Women's 58 kg
  Bronze Kim Jong-su   Shooting Men's 50 metre pistol
2008 Beijing   Gold Hong Un-jong   Gymnastics Women's vault
Pak Hyon-suk   Weightlifting Women's 63 kg
  Silver O Jong-ae Women's 58 kg
An Kum-ae   Judo Women's lightweight
  Bronze Pak Chol-min Men's lightweight
Won Ok-im Women's lightweight
2012 London   Gold An Kum-ae   Judo Women's 52 kg
Om Yun-chol   Weightlifting Men's 56 kg
Kim Un-guk Men's 62 kg
Rim Jong-sim Women's 69 kg
  Bronze Ryang Chun-hwa Women's 48 kg
Kim Myong-hyok Men's 69 kg
Yang Kyong-il   Wrestling Men's freestyle 55 kg
2016 Rio de Janeiro   Gold Ri Se-gwang   Gymnastics Men's vault
Rim Jong-sim   Weightlifting Women's 75 kg
  Silver Om Yun-chol Men's 56 kg
Choe Hyo-sim Women's 63 kg
Kim Kuk-hyang Women's +75 kg
  Bronze Kim Song-guk   Shooting Men's 50 m pistol
Kim Song-i   Table tennis Women's singles
2024 Paris   Silver Kim Mi-rae
Jo Jin-mi
  Diving Women's synchronized 10 metre platform
Ri Jong-sik
Kim Kum-yong
  Table tennis Mixed doubles
  Bronze Kim Mi-rae   Diving Women's 10 metre platform
Pang Chol-mi   Boxing Bantamweight(54kg)
Ri Se Ung   Wrestling Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg
Choe Hyo-gyong Women's freestyle 53 kg

Winter Olympics

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Medal Name Games Sport Event
  Silver Han Pil-hwa 1964 Innsbruck   Speed skating Women's 3000 metres
  Bronze Hwang Ok-sil 1992 Albertville   Short track speed skating Women's 500 metres

Multiple medalists

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Athlete Sport Games   Gold   Silver   Bronze Total
Kye Sun-hui   Judo 1996, 2000, 2004 1 1 1 3
Kim Il   Wrestling 1992, 1996 2 0 0 2
Rim Jong-sim   Weightlifting 2012, 2016 2 0 0 2
An Kum-ae   Judo 2008, 2012 1 1 0 2
Om Yun-chol   Weightlifting 2012, 2016 1 1 0 2
Ri Song-hui   Weightlifting 2000, 2004 0 2 0 2
Ri Byong-uk   Boxing 1976, 1980 0 1 1 2
Kim Myong-nam   Weightlifting 1992, 1996 0 1 1 2
Li Bun-hui   Table tennis 1992 0 0 2 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Taylor, Adam (3 January 2018). "Why the Olympics matter when it comes to North Korea". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  2. ^ North Korea Handbook 2002, p. 488.
  3. ^ "Winter Olympics 2018: North Korea will send 22 athletes to Pyeongchang". BBC News. January 20, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "North Korea at the Winter Olympics: All you need to know". BBC News. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Butler, Nick (2018-08-09). "IOC disappointed after UN reject demand for sporting equipment to be sent to North Korea". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  6. ^ Choe, Sang-hun (6 April 2021). "North Korea, citing the pandemic, will skip the Tokyo Olympics". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  7. ^ "North Korea suspended from IOC after Tokyo no-show". Reuters. Reuters. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.

Works cited

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