"Writing Self-Reflection Letters Despite Winning 7 Gold Medals"... North Korean Weightlifting's Terrifying 'Ideological Screening'

Athletes from the North Korean weightlifting team, who swept a total of 10 medals including 7 gold medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, were caught being publicly reprimanded by a top-tier delegation official inside the venue and writing and submitting documents presumed to be self-reflection letters.

According to the Hankook Ilbo, about 10 North Korean weightlifting athletes were severely reprimanded by a female official in an isolated space inside the Fukiage Hall in Nagoya, Japan, where the weightlifting events were held, at around 12:20 p.m. on September 28.

Following this, the athletes wrote and submitted documents that appeared to be self-reflection letters. Among those present were this tournament's gold medalists Ri Song-gum, Song Kuk-hyang, and Kang Hyun-geng.

Some athletes were reportedly seen bursting into tears while maintaining a rigid, attention stance.

The person who reprimanded the athletes was identified as Kim Chun-hee, head coach of the North Korean weightlifting national team.

Well-known as the "godmother of North Korean women's weightlifting," Coach Kim is a figure who has long been recognized as a capable female weightlifting coach on the international stage.

While the specific reasons for the reprimand and the contents of the documents written by the athletes have not been confirmed, officials at the scene believe it is likely that the athletes' behavior during the competition was taken issue with rather than their athletic performance.

One tournament official stated, "Coach Kim was unusually accompanied by many North Korean officials that day," adding, "It seems to have been due to some mistakes in the athletes' behavior or conduct rather than a reprimand over their results."

Another official claimed, "I understand that team reviews (tonghwa) happen occasionally during international competitions, but it is rare for one to be exposed to the outside like this."

Possibilities were also raised that unauthorized external contact at the venue or showing overly carefree behavior in front of officials may have triggered the review session.

Some pointed out that reprimanding athletes in a public place and forcing them to write self-reflection letters constitutes a human rights violation.

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.