The lives of North Korean athletes
The 2024 Paris Olympics marks North Korea’s first appearance in the games since its withdrawal from the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Korea has participated in nearly every Summer Olympic Games since 1972, amassing 57 bronze, silver, and gold medals. 54 of the 57 medals were won in gymnastics, weightlifting, and judo.
Training athletes to compete at this level requires a considerable amount of funding; with athletic facilities, training, and ensuring the proper nutrition of athletes being a few things to consider. As North Korea continues to face food shortages and economic difficulties, it is hard to picture what life is like for its athletes.
Although there is limited access to information about North Korea’s athletic program, questions surrounding North Korea’s involvement in the Olympics and its athletes are not completely unanswered.
Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, who came to power in 2011, the North Korean government began to invest much more in the country’s athletic program.
“(Kim Jong Un) has invested steadily in sports, giving it about 6 percent of the country’s budget last year.”
-Curtis Melvin, U.S-Korea Institute, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Researchers speculate that the recruitment and training process of athletes may be similar to countries like China, where children are raised in the sport, fully supported by the program’s resources. Funding for these athletic programs can come from different sources, such as the government, local factories, the police, and the military. Analysts believe that young children are scouted for their talent on school playgrounds.
However, recruitment of athletes may not be solely based on athletic ability. Many athletes representing North Korea in the past came from families with good connections and were well-aligned with state ideology.
The image athletes present is very important, especially on the Olympic stage, where athletes serve as their nation’s ambassadors.
Becoming an elite athlete in North Korea may also be “a way for athletes and their families to secure a decent lifestyle”
-Christopher Green, a North Korea analyst in Seoul, South Korea
Despite widespread food shortages, An Yong-hak, a Japanese-born individual of Korean descent who was a member of North Korea's national men's soccer team from 2002 to 2012, shared that during his practices with the team in Pyongyang, “there was always meat, fish, rice, soup, vegetables and plenty of food.” Reliable access to this quality of food is a privilege not held by many North Korean citizens.
Athletes who perform well may sometimes receive rewards such as cars or houses. This comes from former women’s ice hockey player Hwangbo Young, who defected to South Korea in 1997. However, she notes that “these cases are rare”, “and limited only to gold medalists of major international events like the Olympics or the World Cup games.”
Athletic facilities are also regularly renovated and built, with North Korea having built a new ice and roller skating rink, soccer academies, a horseback riding club, and a ski resort between 2012 and 2018.
This glimpse into the lives of North Korean athletes offers a different perspective on the country, and the presence of an athletic program and up-to-date facilities tells us a bit more about the role of sports in North Korea.
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