North Korea to send 9 wrestlers to Asian Games

North Korea has announced it will send nine wrestlers to participate in the upcoming Asian Games. The athletes will compete in both men's Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling categories. In Greco-Roman wrestling, Ryu Yu-chol, ranked 51st worldwide in the 60kg class, and Son Man-kwang, ranked 49th in the 67kg class, will represent North Korea.

For freestyle wrestling, world No. 1 Han Chong-song from the 57kg class and Kim Kwang-jin, ranked 14th in the 65kg class, will compete for the country. On the women's side, Kim Son-hyang in the 50kg class, Choe Hyo-gyong in the 53kg class, Son Il-sim in the 57kg class, Kim Ok-ju in the 62kg class, and Pak Sol-gum in the 68kg class will all be representing North Korea.

Since making significant progress on the international stage in the late 2010s, North Korea has consistently performed well in wrestling competitions, winning a total of seven medals, including one gold, three silver, and three bronze, at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Last year, at the world championships, North Korea also secured seven medals, including three golds, two silvers, and two bronzes.