The Most Famous
ATHLETES from North Korea
This page contains a list of the greatest North Korean Athletes. The pantheon dataset contains 6,025 Athletes, 7 of which were born in North Korea. This makes North Korea the birth place of the 64th most number of Athletes behind Kyrgyzstan, and Egypt.
Top 8
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary North Korean Athletes of all time. This list of famous North Korean Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Sohn Kee-chung (1912 - 2002)
With an HPI of 57.76, Sohn Kee-chung is the most famous North Korean Athlete. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.
Sohn Kee-chung (Korean: 손기정; Korean pronunciation: [son.kidʑʌŋ]; August 29, 1912 – November 15, 2002) was a Korean-Japanese Olympic athlete and long-distance runner. He became the first Korean to win a medal at the Olympic Games, winning gold in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was born in the Korean Peninsula, but he competed as a member of the Japanese delegation because Korea was under Japanese rule at the time. Sohn set an Olympic record of 2 hours 29 minutes 19.2 seconds. Sohn competed under the Japanese name Kitei Son, as Korea was under Japanese occupation during his career.
2. Choe Chol-su (b. 1969)
With an HPI of 36.29, Choe Chol-su is the 2nd most famous North Korean Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Choe Chol-su (Korean: 최철수; born December 1, 1969) is a North Korean boxer who won the gold medal in the men's Flyweight (51 kg) category at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
3. Om Yun-chol (b. 1991)
With an HPI of 29.92, Om Yun-chol is the 3rd most famous North Korean Athlete. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Om Yun-chol or Um Yoon-chul (Korean: 엄윤철; Korean pronunciation: [ʌ.mjun.tsʰʌl] or [ʌm] [jun.tsʰʌl]; born 18 November 1991) is a North Korean retired weightlifter, coach, Olympic Champion, and five time World Champion competing in the 56 kg category until 2018 and 55 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. He is 152 centimetres (5 ft 0 in) and weighs 55 kilograms (121 lb). Om represents the Amnokgang Sports Team. He is also the fourth man to lift over 3 times bodyweight in the clean & jerk multiple times after succeeding in breaking the world record clean and jerk of 169 kg in the −56 kg weight class during the Asian Interclub Championships, and has accomplished this feat 3 more times since the Asian Interclub Championships, at the 2014 Asian Games, 2015 World Weightlifting Championships, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was also the sixth man to lift at least triple his bodyweight in the clean & jerk in international competition, having done so seven times; the others are Naim Süleymanoğlu, Stefan Topurov, Long Qingquan, Halil Mutlu, and Neno Terziyski. He has set six senior world records throughout his career, five in the clean & jerk and one in the total.
4. Rim Jong-sim (b. 1993)
With an HPI of 28.91, Rim Jong-sim is the 4th most famous North Korean Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Rim Jong-sim (Korean: 림정심; Korean pronunciation: [ɾim.dzʌŋ.ɕim] or [ɾim] [tsʌŋ.ɕim]; born 5 February 1993) is a North Korean retired weightlifter, two time Olympic Champion, World Champion, Asian Games gold and bronze medalist, and Asian Champion competing in the 69 kg and 75 kg category until 2018 and 76 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
5. Kim Jong-su (b. 1977)
With an HPI of 28.73, Kim Jong-su is the 5th most famous North Korean Athlete. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Kim Jong-su (Korean pronunciation: [kim.dzʌŋ.su] or [kim] [tsʌŋ.su]; born January 1, 1977) is a North Korean sport shooter. He won the bronze medal in the 50 metre pistol competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens.
6. Pak Hyon-suk (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 27.68, Pak Hyon-suk is the 6th most famous North Korean Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Pak Hyon-Suk (Korean: 박현숙; Korean pronunciation: [pak̚ hjʌn.suk̚] or [pa.kʰjʌn.suk̚]; born August 4, 1985) is a female weightlifter from North Korea. She ranked 6th in the Woman's 58 kg category at the 2004 Summer Olympics, lifting 217.5 kg in total. At the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships she won the bronze medal in the 63 kg category with a total of 228 kg. She won the gold medal in the 63 kg category at the 2008 Summer Olympics, with 241 kg in total. Upon receiving her gold medal, she obtained a warm reception back in her home country and from the KCNA. Pak represents the Amnokgang Sports Team.
7. Kim Un-guk (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 27.36, Kim Un-guk is the 7th most famous North Korean Athlete. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Kim Un-guk (Korean: 김은국; Korean pronunciation: [kim.ɯm.ɡuk̚]; born 28 October 1988) is a North Korean weightlifter, Olympic Champion, and two time World Champion. He is also a Labor Hero and People's Athlete.
8. Kim Mi-rae (b. 2001)
With an HPI of 0.00, Kim Mi-rae is the 8th most famous North Korean Athlete. Her biography has been translated into different languages.
Kim Mi-rae (Korean pronunciation: [kim.mi.ɾɛ]; born 7 April 2001) is a North Korean diver. She won the silver medal in the women's synchronized 10 metre platform and the bronze medal in the women's 10 metre platform at the Paris 2024 Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Kim was placed 4th in the women's synchronized ten metre platform with her partner Kim Kuk-hyang. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she won the silver medal with her partner Jo Jin-mi in the women's synchronized 10 metre platform event, marking North Korea's first-ever diving Olympic medal. She also secured the bronze medal in the women's 10 metre platform with a score of 372.10.
People
Pantheon has 8 people classified as North Korean athletes born between 1912 and 2001. Of these 8, 7 (87.50%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living North Korean athletes include Choe Chol-su, Om Yun-chol, and Rim Jong-sim. The most famous deceased North Korean athletes include Sohn Kee-chung. As of April 2024, 1 new North Korean athletes have been added to Pantheon including Kim Mi-rae.
Living North Korean Athletes
Go to all Rankings
Choe Chol-su
1969 - Present
HPI: 36.29
Om Yun-chol
1991 - Present
HPI: 29.92
Rim Jong-sim
1993 - Present
HPI: 28.91
Kim Jong-su
1977 - Present
HPI: 28.73
Pak Hyon-suk
1985 - Present
HPI: 27.68
Kim Un-guk
1988 - Present
HPI: 27.36
Kim Mi-rae
2001 - Present
HPI: 0.00
