sports

True to original ambition

Jong Song Hui, who has been chosen as one of the top 10 coaches of the DPRK for the second time, is a lecturer at the weightlifting department of the Combat Sports Faculty and an instructor at the science research department of Central Sports School.

After learning weightlifting at the school, she proved successful at national sports contests including the National People’s Games.

After becoming a lecturer, she devoted herself to sports education, without giving up her original ambition to win at international games, and trained her student Ri Suk to be a world-class weightlifter.

Ri Suk won 20 gold medals at international events by 2025 and, especially, set six new world records at them from 2023 to 2025.

From first step of success

Kye Song Il is a weightlifting coach of the April 25 Combat Sports Team.

Honoured with the title of People’s Athlete, he has been selected as one of the top 10 coaches of the DPRK five times.

Born into a farmer’s family in Ryongchon County, North Phyongan Province, he played as a weightlifter at the then April 25 Sports Club and, after graduating from Korea University of Physical Education, worked as a women’s weightlifting coach at the then sports school of the Korean People’s Army.

In only a few years after becoming a coach, he trained Ri Su Yon to triumph at a series of international games held in 2012 and 2013.

Since he made the first step of success as a coach, he continuously added to his achievements, which became most evident through the success of Ri Song Gum.

Under Kye’s guidance, Ri has been on a winning streak at international games.

At several international events, Ri lifted surprisingly great weights so that her rivals could not keep up with her.

In the course of her career, Ri Song Gum was awarded the Kim Il Sung Youth Honour Prize and the title of People’s Athlete and became a twice world champion.

With painstaking efforts

Kim Song Chol, People’s Athlete and weightlifting coach of the April 25 Combat Sports Team, was born in a farmer’s family in Sangwon County, North Hwanghae Province.

He began weightlifting at the then Pyongyang Sports School and proved successful at national events while playing at the then April 25 Sports Club.

After becoming a coach, he made painstaking efforts to train promising players and thus produced several excellent players like Song Kuk Hyang.

Song Kuk Hyang, a twice world champion and People’s Athlete, has proved successful at many international games from 2017 to 2025.

Talented coach

So Un Hak is a weightlifting coach of the April 25 Combat Sports Team.

He has been chosen as one of the top 10 coaches of the DPRK six times.

He is most proud of Kim Il Gyong among those he has trained during over 20 years of his coaching career.

Thanks to So’s effort, Kim Il Gyong was successful at international games only a few years after starting her career and has made remarkable achievements at international events every year since then.

Kim won gold medals at several international events held in 2024, including the 2024 IWF World Championships where she set new world records in the women’s 59kg category jerk and total and also won first place in snatch to secure the MVP award of the championships.

She also triumphed in the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships and the 2025 IWF World Championships.