Highlights of the ASBC National Federations – DPR Korea won two Olympic and seven Asian Games titles during its boxing history
The Asian Boxing Confederation introduces the best moments of its affiliated Asian National Federations launching a new PR campaign, the Highlights of the ASBC National Federations. DPR Korea is one of the Asian boxing powers with two Olympic, seven Asian Games and eight titles from the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
The North Korean boxers competed or qualified to nine editions of the Olympic Games between 1972 and 2012. Their overall boxing performance in the Olympic Games is two gold, three silver and three bronze medals. DPR Korea is the 26th nation in the overall medal table of the Olympic Games as sixth best country in the Asian continent behind Kazakhstan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, South Korea and China.
The North Koreans attended first with two boxers at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games and among them Kim U Gil claimed silver medal at the light flyweight (48kg). The first North Korean who achieved the Olympic title was Gu Jong Jo who defeated all of his rivals at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. Li Byong Uk was finalist also in the Canadian venue and achieved silver medal at the light flyweight (48kg) and he repeated that performance in the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.
The second North Korean Olympic title was achieved by Choe Chol Su at the flyweight (51kg) in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Li Gwang Sik achieved bronze in 1992, while Kim Un Chol also took an unexpected podium place in 2000. Kim Song Guk advanced to the final of the featherweight (57kg) in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games but he lost to Russia’s Aleksey Tishchenko. Kim Song Guk’s silver was DPR Korea’s last Olympic medal in boxing but their current line-ups are also enough strong to continue their tradition.
DPR Korea claimed also seven gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals in the history of the boxing events of the Asian Games. Their first gold medals were taken by Gu Yong Jo and Ro Yong So in the Tehran 1974 Asian Games. Gu Yong Jo became their first boxer who became two-time champion in the Asian Games in 1978, defending his throne in Bangkok.
Jo Ryon Sik and Jong Jo Ung delivered further two gold medals for DPR Korea in the Delhi 1982 Asian Games which was their next peak performance. Their last Asian Games title was bagged by a woman boxer, Jang Un Hui who won the middleweight (75kg) in the Incheon 2014 Asian Games.
The North Korean male boxers took two silver and five bronze medals in the AIBA Men’s Elite World Boxing Championships. Their female boxers are even more successful, they claimed eight gold, seven silver and ten bronze medals in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. The North Koreans are No.4 in the all-time medal table of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and their last champion from 2018, Pang Chol Mi is one of the best female boxers of the globe.
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