[Nagoya AG] North Korean Official Reacts Sharply to "North Korea" Reference, Tells Korean Reporter "Use the Correct Term"

Sensitive Reaction to Use of Unofficial State Name
Ri Songgum Wins First Gold in Women’s 49kg Weightlifting for North Korea

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, North Korea, who claimed their first gold medal in the women's 49kg weightlifting event, expressed displeasure during an official press conference. The reason was the use of the term "North Korea" instead of their official state name.

According to Yonhap News on the 23rd, Ri Song-gum won the women's 49kg weightlifting event held at the Nagoya Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Hall in Japan with a world record. During the subsequent medals press conference, when a Korean reporter mentioned "North Korea" while seeking her thoughts on winning the first gold medal, a representative of the North Korean team pointed out, "Use the correct term."

The reporter then posed the question again, this time referring to North Korea as "Choson". Nevertheless, the North Korean side outright refused to answer the question.

On the 23rd, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games weightlifting women's 49kg final held at the Nagoya Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Center in Japan, North Korean Ri Seonggeum lifted 121kg in the second attempt of the clean and jerk. Photo by Yonhap News.

Throughout this tournament, the terms "North Korea" or "North Korea" in English are rarely mentioned. Instead, the official state name "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" is used when announcing North Korea in stadium broadcasts.

According to media outlets, prior to the games, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) even called a press conference, requesting Japanese media to use North Korea's official state name rather than "North Korea".

Some analysts suggest that North Korea, which has recently emphasized a "two hostile states" approach to thoroughly separate itself from South Korea, is particularly sensitive to being referred to as "North Korea". The term "North Korea" is believed to imply ethnic ties to South Korea.

Lee Sunggeum is standing on the podium holding up a medal. Photo by Yonhap News

Taking such sensitivities into account, Korean media covering the Asian Games have taken steps such as refraining from addressing North Korea by name in press conferences or referring to them as "the Republic" as an alternative.

However, it was reported that at the press conference, aside from the question that used the term "North Korea", Ri Song-gum answered other questions fluently and without hesitation. When asked about her feelings on winning the gold medal, she replied, "I love my motherland, and for this competition, I wanted to think of (lift up) my country upon my small shoulders."

As for the secret to her victory, she said, "It was not because of my own prowess, but because I took to the stage today bearing the trust and expectations conferred upon me by my country and its people," dedicating all glory to North Korea.

Meanwhile, the official who awarded Ri Song-gum the gold medal was Kim Il-guk, the North Korean Minister of Sports, visiting Japan as the chairman of North Korea's Olympic Committee. He was reportedly dressed in attire featuring a badge bearing the image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. When he placed the gold medal around Ri Song-gum's neck, she embraced Minister Kim and was visibly moved to tears.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.