Editor’s note: This is the first article in a two-part series on the origins and evolution of the DPRK’s athletics system.

North Korea recently made its return to international sporting competition after years of sitting on the sidelines during the pandemic, sending athletes to the Asian Games in China and winning 11 gold medals.

While doping concerns put an asterisk on these results, the impoverished country routinely punches above its weight in international competitions, most notably weightlifting but also sports like soccer and table tennis. 

And this is no accident but the result of decades of efforts to develop athletics