North Korea at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

In 1991 Kim Gwang-suk won the first medal, a gold on uneven bars, for North Korea at the World Championships. However, her win became controversial when it was discovered that North Korean officials had falsified her birth year as it was listed as 15 for three years in a row.[1] Although the International Gymnastics Federation punished the North Korean gymnastics federation by barring their women's team from competing at the 1993 World Championships, they did allow Kim to keep her medal.[2] North Korea faced further age-falsification controversy when it was discovered that 2007 World silver medalist Hong Su-jong had listed three different birth years (1989, 1985 and 1986) between 2003 and 2010.[3][4]

North Korea at the
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
IOC codePRK
Medals
Gold
8
Silver
3
Bronze
3
Total
14

Pae Gil-su became the first North Korean man to win a World Championships medal, winning gold on pommel horse in 1992.[5]

Medalists

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Medal Name Year Event
  Gold Kim Gwang-suk   1991 Indianapolis Women's uneven bars
  Gold Pae Gil-su   1992 Paris Men's pommel horse
  Gold Pae Gil-su   1993 Birmingham Men's pommel horse
  Gold Pae Gil-su   1996 San Juan Men's pommel horse
  Bronze Pae Gil-su   1997 Lausanne Men's pommel horse
  Silver Kang Yun-mi   2003 Anaheim Women's vault
  Silver Hong Su-jong   2007 Stuttgart Women's vault
  Bronze Ri Se-gwang Men's vault
  Bronze Hong Un-jong   2013 Antwerp Women's vault
  Gold Hong Un-jong   2014 Nanning Women's vault
  Gold Ri Se-gwang Men's vault
  Silver Hong Un-jong   2015 Glasgow Women's vault
  Gold Ri Se-gwang Men's vault
  Gold Ri Se-gwang   2018 Doha Men's vault

Medal tables

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By gender

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GenderGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Men6028
Women2316

References

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  1. ^ "China's 2008 gymnastics gold medalists of age". OU Daily. October 1, 2008.
  2. ^ Clarey, Christopher (April 19, 1996). "Gold Medalist and His Team May Be Barred From Olympic Games : Last Chance for a North Korean Athlete". New York Times.
  3. ^ "North Korea banned 2 years for age falsification". The San Diego Union-Tribune. November 5, 2010.
  4. ^ "FIG probing Hong Su Jong's birthdate". ESPN. October 2, 2010.
  5. ^ "Gymnastics - World Artistic Gymnastics Championships - 1992". TheSports.org.