(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Myung-hoon = As North Korea's weightlifting continues its gold streak day after day at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, attention is focused on the reason why North Korea is particularly strong in this event.
Oh Gwang-ok (24), a member of the North Korean weightlifting team, won the North Korean team's fourth gold medal of this competition with 104 kg in snatch, 134 kg in clean and jerk, and 238 kg in total in the women's 57 kg competition held at the Small and Medium Business Promotion Center in Nagoya on the 25th.
The snatch, clean and jerk, and total were all world records, and the difference in total record with the second-place Thai athlete reached 19kg.
North Korea swept gold medals in four out of five weightlifting events held so far today.
They also won a silver medal in the remaining event, so in fact, weightlifting in the early stages of this competition is being held exclusively by North Korea.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea swept 23 medals, including 17 gold medals, not only at this competition but also at the world championships held last year. At the time, 10 world records were set. He also won seven gold medals at the Asian Championships in May this year.
The strength of North Korea's weightlifting is analyzed as the result of long-term investment.
In 1953, after the end of the Korean War, North Korea adopted weightlifting as an intensive training sport along with shooting and wrestling.
The diplomatic environment, such as training with politically close China and Eastern European countries and building know-how, also helped the growth of North Korean weightlifting.
In the 1960s, we conducted joint field training with Bulgaria, a weightlifting powerhouse at the time, and frequently exchanged sports with the former Soviet Union to absorb advanced technology.
There is also an analysis that North Korean weightlifting developed thanks to its close relationship with China, the world's powerlifting powerhouse.
It is believed that North Korea's weightlifting know-how, accumulated over several decades, began to fully bloom around the 2012 London Olympics. At that time, North Korea won three gold medals at the Olympics.
Since then, North Korean state media has been touting large-scale achievements at major stages such as the Asian Games and World Championships.
North Korea claims its own early gifted development system as its secret.
Chosun Central News Agency introduced Ri Seong-geum (28), who was selected as one of the top 10 players of 2025 earlier this year, and said that he was trained according to the “rear reserve training system established in an orderly manner in the country.” Lee Seong-geum won this competition, setting a world record.
In fact, it is known that North Korea enrolls children with a talent for sports from childhood into boys' sports schools in various regions to receive professional training.
Strong motivation for players is also considered a major factor.
In North Korea, those who achieve notable achievements in international competitions are treated exceptionally well, receiving titles such as ‘Hero of the Republic’ and ‘Hero of Effort’ even at a relatively young age.
Promising athletes develop their dreams by looking at athletes who have made a name for themselves in weightlifting. Desperation for success becomes the basis for high grades by allowing one to endure arduous training and focus on victory.
Patriotism is also one of North Korea's main secrets.
Kim Chun-hee, secretary general of the North Korean Weightlifting Association, explained in a 2024 interview with Chosun Shinbo, the newspaper of the General Association of Koreans in Japan, that the secret of North Korean weightlifting is "the passionate patriotism cherished in the hearts of our athletes who endlessly love and want to shine their country."
