sports

Yu Jong Hyang, winner of two top prizes in a World Cup finals

Yu Jong Hyang, who received the Golden Ball, the best player award, and Adidas Golden Boot, the top scorer award, in the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, was selected as one of the top 10 players of the DPRK for 2025.

Born in Phyongsong City of South Phyongan Province, she began to learn football at a sports school, practised her techniques at Pyongyang International Football School and grew up to be a professional football player of the April 25 Sports Team.

Though it was the first time for her to take part in the World Cup, Yu positively contributed to the successive victory of her team from the group league matches. She showed thrilling scoring scenes one after another in the last 16, quarterfinals and semifinals and played a key role in her team’s winning the final match and lifting the fourth world cup for her country.

Song Kuk Hyang, two-time world champion

Among the top 10 players of the DPRK for 2025 is Song Kuk Hyang, a two-time world weightlifting champion.

Hailing from Unchon County in South Hwanghae Province, she made strenuous efforts to fulfil her dream of becoming a world weightlifting star, with the result that she earned several gold medals in her international debut in 2017 and set new Asian junior records in events and total at the 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships.

She also took first place in the 19th Asian Games and the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation Grand Prix and won and renewed the world record in the 2024 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

After collecting three gold medals to take first place in the 2024 IWF World Championships, Song established world and Asian records in clean and jerk and total in the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships and was awarded the most valuable player award of the championships. And she set three new world records and won gold medals at the 2025 IWF World Championships.

People’s Athlete Song Kuk Hyang was selected as one of the top 10 players of the DPRK for 2025 after 2022.

Ri Suk, two-time world champion

People’s Athlete Ri Suk, who was selected as one of the top 10 players of the DPRK for 2025, is a two-time world weightlifting champion.

She was born in Waudo District of Nampho, began to learn weightlifting at the age of 11 and acquired its basic techniques at Central Sports School. She made her international debut at the 2018 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and took first place in snatch, jerk and total, obtaining six gold medals. Later, she snatched three gold medals in the 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships and renewed the world record in jerk and won three gold medals in the 2023 IWF Grand Prix. She also collected three gold medals in the 2024 Asian Weightlifting Championships and broke the world records in jerk and total in the 2024 IWF World Championships to be crowned world champion.

People’s Athlete Ri Suk set three new world records with 111kg in snatch, 142kg in clean and jerk and 253kg in total and was awarded three gold medals in the 2025 IWF World Championships.

Ri Song Gum, two-time world champion

Ri Song Gum, woman weightlifter of the April 25 Combat Sports Team of the DPRK, was nominated as one of the top 10 players of the DPRK in 2015 and from 2021 to 2025, or six times in total.

Born to a farmer’s family in Nyongbyon County of North Phyongan Province, she began to learn the basic techniques of weightlifting when she was 12 years old. Only in a few years after she embarked on the sporting career at the April 25 Combat Sports Team she renewed the national records and bettered the world youth records and won three gold medals at the 2014 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships later. After winning victory again in jerk of the women’s 48kg category at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships, she renewed all the world, Asian and Asian Games records in jerk and total and won the event at the 19th Asian Games. And she was awarded gold medals one after another at the 2024 Asian Weightlifting Championships, the 2024 IWF World Cup and the 2024 IWF World Championships.

Even after becoming a People’s Athlete and world champion, Ri Song Gum trained harder and lifted 91kg in snatch, 122kg in clean and jerk (new world record) and 213kg in total (new world record) to win first place respectively and obtain three gold medals at the 2025 IWF World Championships and become two-time world champion.