North Korean female athletes have been on a dominant run in international competition, capturing seven medals at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships earlier this year and winning both the U-20 and U-17 Women’s World Cups in 2024.

But even as DPRK women have consistently outperformed their male counterparts, achieving success that might win them sponsorships and even celebrity in other countries, questions linger about how much autonomy and agency these athletes have over their own lives.

At a post-match interviewafter winning the U-17 World Cup, DPRK goalie Pak Ju Gyong said that she followed the path closest to the