"Writing Self-Reflection Letters Despite Winning 7 Gold Medals"... North Korea's Weightlifting Team Faces Feared "Ideological Screening"

North Korean weightlifting athletes, who swept a total of 10 medals including 7 golds at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, were spotted receiving a public reprimand from a high-ranking team official inside the venue and submitting documents suspected to be self-reflection letters.

According to the Hankook Ilbo, about 10 North Korean weightlifting athletes were harshly rebuked by a female official at around 12:20 p.m. on September 28 in a secluded area inside the Fukiage Hall (Nagoya International Exhibition Hall) where the weightlifting events were held.

Following the reprimand, the athletes wrote and submitted documents appearing to be self-reflection letters. Among those present were gold medalists from this competition, such as Ri Song-gum, Song Kuk-hyang, and Kang Hyun-gwang.

Some athletes were reportedly seen shedding tears while maintaining an upright, attention stance.

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

Well known as the "godmother of North Korean women's weightlifting," Coach Kim 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 exceptionally accompanied by many North Korean officials on this day," adding, "It seems to have been due to some mistakes in the athletes' behavior or conduct rather than a rebuke over their performance."

Another official claimed, "I understand that team reviews (jonghwa) are common 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 contrary to guidelines at the venue or displaying casual behavior in front of officials may have triggered the review.

Some critics point out that the act of rebuking athletes and making them write self-reflection letters in a public space constitutes a human rights violation.

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