Of over 200 countries that participated in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, only one refused to compete because of the COVID-19 pandemic: North Korea.
The East Asian country has won 57 medals in the Olympic Games since its debut at the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck, and it first participated in the Summer Games in 1972 in Munich. Since then, the country has missed three Summer Games, including the 2021 edition.
The North Korean delegation did face consequences for pulling out of the Tokyo Games, but the Paris Olympics offer a fresh start. Find out whether the nation will be competing in the 2024 Games below.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
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Is North Korea in the Olympics?
Yes, North Korea is scheduled to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It will be the country's 11th Olympic appearance and its first Summer Games since 2016 in Rio. The delegation will consist of 16 athletes participating in seven different sports.
North Korea Olympics ban
North Korea most recently participated in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where it sent 22 athletes to compete. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back what was scheduled to be the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to 2021. In April of that year, North Korea announced in would not participate in the 2021 Games due to concerns surrounding the virus.
It was the first Summer Olympics the country had missed since they boycotted the 1988 Games, which were held in Seoul. North Korea was the only country not to send athletes to Tokyo and was warned of the consequences of not participating. After rejecting solutions offered by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), including vaccines, the country was suspended from the IOC in September 2021.
The ban lasted through the end of 2022, meaning the North Korean delegation would miss out on the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. The decision determined that the North Korean Olympic committee would not receive any financial support during the ban and would forfeit any support that had been previously withheld due to sanctions.
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North Korea 2024 Olympic athletes
| Athlete | Sport (Men's/women's) |
| Han Il-ryong | Athletics (M) |
| Pang Chol-mi | Boxing (W) |
| Won Un-gyong | Boxing (W) |
| Im Yong-myong | Diving (M) |
| Kim Mi-rae | Diving (W) |
| Jin Mi-jo | Diving (W) |
| An Chang-ok | Artistic gymnastics (W) |
| Mun Song-hui | Judo (W) |
| Pyon Song-gyong | Table tennis (W) |
| Ri Jong-sik | Table tennis (Mixed doubles) |
| Kim Kum-yong | Table tennis (Mixed doubles) |
| Kim Son-hyang | Wrestling (W) |
| Choe Hyo-gyong | Wrestling (W) |
| Mun Hyon-gyong | Wrestling (W) |
| Pak Sol-gum | Wrestling (W) |
| Ri Se-ung | Wrestling (M) |
