The North Korean weightlifting team won 7 gold medals, 2 silvers and 1 bronze, but was severely reprimanded by the coach. South Korean media pointed out that it may be due to the players' behavioral mistakes.

A North Korean cheering group in a weightlifting facility. (Provided by Nagoya Asian Games Preparatory Committee)

[Reporter Lu Yangxuan/Comprehensive Report] The North Korean team showed its top strength in weightlifting at this Asian Games, winning 7 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal in one fell swoop. Five of the gold medalists broke the world record and became the biggest winners in this event. However, the South Korean media accidentally captured the scene of the team being reprimanded by the coach at the competition venue. The Korean media speculated that it may be related to other behaviors of the players rather than the results.

"Korea Daily" exclusively reported yesterday that on the 28th of last month, about 10 athletes from the North Korean weightlifting team were severely scolded by a female cadre in a remote space at the Nagoya City Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Center at the weightlifting competition venue. Afterwards, the athletes were asked to write and submit suspected objections. According to the provincial document, those present at the time included gold medalists Lee Seong-jin, Song Guk-hyang, Kang Hyun-kyung and others. Some players stood at attention and burst into tears. According to Korean media, the leader who reprimanded the players was coach Kim Chun-hee, who is the "godmother of North Korean women's weightlifting."

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"Korea Daily" pointed out that it is currently unable to confirm the specific reason why Kim Chunxi rebuked the players this time, as well as the content of the documents written by the players. Relevant people at the scene believe that rather than the results of the competition, it is more likely that there was a problem with the players' behavior during the competition.

A person involved in the event who requested anonymity said that it did not seem like they were reprimanded because of their performance. It was more likely that the players had made mistakes in their behavior or words. Another person related to the event revealed, "It is said that the delegation occasionally conducts review meetings when participating in international competitions, but it is almost never seen by the outside world like this time."

Dong-A University professor Kang Dong-wan analyzed in an interview that some players may have violated relevant instructions when contacting the outside world while overseas, or behaved too freely in front of officials, which was the reason for being reviewed. Other analysts believe that this may be because the coach wants to show his achievements in ideological education to his superiors.