THE performance of North Korean athletes in the Asian Games has left its citizens in “ecstasy of joy”, state media said yesterday, adding the event has become the hottest topic among its youth.
As of Sunday the North had won eight gold medals, eight silver and nine bronze in the Games.
North Korea’s weightlifters have shattered world records and both the men and women’s football teams are continuing their winning streaks.
“Their achievements have lashed the citizens in Pyongyang and other parts of the country into a great jubilee,” state news agency KCNA said.
The dispatch, entitled “Pyongyang in Ecstasy of Joy at Asian Games News”, quoted one college student as calling the event “the main topic of conversation among university students.”
One government official told KCNA his wife had “got mad with joy” when the North Korea’s women’s football team beat Vietnam 5-0 in their first match.
“I, too, wanted to dance for joy...in the wake of weightlifters Om Yun-Chol and Kim Un-Guk (setting) world records,” he was quoted as saying.
“The world public is struck with admiration at the progress of the (North’s) sports, which is rapidly developing under the deep care of Kim Jong-Un,” a Pyongyang college professor told KCNA in reference to the nation’s leader.
The latest dispatch — like most of its reports — did not mention the host country South Korea.
Leader Kim is known to be a big sports fan, showering star athletes with lavish cars, awards and houses.
The delegation of 273 North Korean athletes, coaches and officials is overseen by North Korean minders and guarded by hundreds of South Korean security service agents. AFP