SafekipediaNorth Korea at the Olympics
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
North Korea, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, first joined the Olympic Games in 1964. The country's Olympic Committee was created in 1953 and was recognized in 1957. Over the years, North Korea has taken part in both Summer and Winter Olympics. Sometimes, North Korea and South Korea work together, like at the 2018 Winter Olympics, when athletes from both countries joined forces to form a single team for women's ice hockey. This symbol of unity shows how sports can sometimes bring people together, even from countries that have differences.
History
North Korea first joined the Olympic Games at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. They took part in their first Summer Olympic Games eight years later at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Since then, they have been in every Summer Games, except when they did not go to the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Olympics because of COVID-19.
North Korea did not always join the Winter Games. In the last thirteen Winter Games, they have been in eight of them.
During a time called the Sunshine Policy from 1998 to 2007, North Korea and South Korea walked together at the start of the 2000, 2004, and 2006 Olympics, but still competed separately.
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, North Korea sent 22 athletes to compete in five sports. North and South Korean athletes walked together at the opening ceremonies, and there was a special unified women's ice hockey team with players from both countries. North Korean athletes also took part in alpine skiing, figure skating, short track speed skating, and cross-country skiing.
With the 22 athletes, North Korea also sent 400 supporters to the 2018 games. This group, led by North Korea's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam, included cheerleaders, taekwondo practitioners, and an orchestra.
North Korean athletes have won a total of 63 medals, two of which were won at the Winter Games. Because of conflicts, the United Nations did not allow North Korea to get special permission to send sports equipment for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
On 6 April 2021, North Korea said it would not take part in the 2020 Summer Olympics because of COVID-19. Because the Olympic Charter says members must join, the International Olympic Committee stopped North Korea from doing activities until the end of 2022. This meant North Korea could not join the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Timeline of participation
| Olympic Year/s | Teams | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912–1936 |  Japan | ||
| 1948–1960 |  South Korea | Japan | |
| 1964 W |  North Korea (NKO) | ||
| 1964 S–1968 | |||
| 1972–present |  North Korea (PRK) | ||
Medal tables
See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table
Medals by Summer Games
Medals by Winter Games
Medals by summer sport
Medals by winter sport
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932–1936 | occupied by Japan | |||||
 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 | boycotted | |||||
| 1988 Seoul | boycotted | |||||
 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 (11/30) | 448 | 16 | 18 | 27 | 61 | 47 |
| 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 | did not participate | |||||
| 2030 French Alps | future event | |||||
| 2034 Utah | ||||||
| Total (9/25) | 77 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 47 |
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Weightlifting | 5 | 8 | 6 | 19 |
 Wrestling | 3 | 2 | 7 | 12 |
 Gymnastics | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
 Boxing | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
 Judo | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
 Shooting | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
 Table tennis | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
 Diving | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Volleyball | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 16 | 18 | 27 | 61 |
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Speed skating | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Short track speed skating | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (2 entries) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
List of medalists
Summer Olympics
Winter Olympics
Gold
| 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
| 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 Mi-rae | Diving | 2024 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Kim Myong-nam | Weightlifting | 1992, 1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Li Bun-hui | Table tennis | 1992 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on North Korea at the Olympics, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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