From sharing podium to hiding smartphones: NK athletes under watch in Nagoya

North Korean athletes at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were kept under strict watch in Japan, with frequent self-criticism sessions and little outside contact. At venues and accommodations, they were isolated from other athletes and reportedly monitored by possible security agents. In one scene at Nagoya Municipal Gymnasium on Aug. 24, athletes briefly used a smartphone before hiding it from outsiders. North Korea also drew attention on Aug. 28 by insisting that journalists use its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

A Games official said North Korean athletes were not allowed to go out or train individually at their accommodations and were cut off from the outside world.

People believed to be agents of the State Security Ministry were said to have been stationed on the floors where the athletes were staying.

At the Nagoya Municipal Gymnasium on Aug. 24, North Korean athletes were seen huddling around a smartphone and passing around photos before hiding it when approached by a South Korean reporter.

On Aug. 28, the North Korean delegation held a press conference at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range and demanded that journalists use its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, said sports could help improve ties only if an atmosphere for inter-Korean dialogue is created.

Published Oct 3, 2026 1:00 pm KST

A North Korean national artistic gymnastics team athlete looks through photos taken on a smartphone with teammates at Nagoya Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi prefecture, Japan, Aug. 24. Korea Times photo by Kim Hyeong-jun

North Korea used the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to showcase its prowess in strategic sports on the international stage while promoting national pride and unity at home.

But the North Korean athletes in their teens and 20s taking part in the Games have been suppressing their youthful instincts, confined by intensive self-criticism sessions and strict controls while in Japan.

According to this newspaper's reporting, the North Korean delegation has, during these Games, been found to hold self-criticism sessions frequently; completely block outside exposure and contact in and around competition venues; and effectively confine athletes to their accommodations outside competition hours.

At weightlifting venues, where self-criticism sessions were conducted openly despite the presence of outsiders, as well as at soccer fields, shooting ranges, gymnastics venues and canoe courses, North Korean athletes were isolated from the "exchange and harmony" promoted by the Games.

"Even when they stay alongside athletes from other countries at accommodations designated by the organizing committee, North Korean athletes are not allowed to go out or even train individually, and are completely cut off from the outside world," a Games official said. "People believed to be agents of the State Security Ministry, the country's intelligence agency, appear to have been stationed on the floors where the athletes are staying."

He said there had been no reports of North Korean athletes even taking walks around their accommodations, let alone visiting convenience stores.

Nevertheless, scenes of North Korean athletes caught between official restrictions and the interests of their peers were observed at various venues. At Nagoya Municipal Gymnasium on Aug. 24, where artistic gymnastics events were held, athletes sitting together in the stands looked much like any other teenagers and people in their 20s, huddling around a smartphone and passing around photos they had taken of themselves. But when a South Korean reporter approached or athletes from other countries greeted them, they quickly hid the phone and stiffened their expressions.

Members of the North Korean women's national football team pose during the podium ceremony at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Fukuroi, Japan, Oct. 2. Reuters-Yonhap

When South Korea's Yeo Seo-jeong, 24, took the podium after defeating North Korea's An Chang-ok to win gold in the women's vault, athletes from other countries applauded and celebrated her. The North Korean delegation, however, sat motionless without even clapping, in scenes that appeared to depart from the spirit of sportsmanship.

On Aug. 28, the North Korean delegation unexpectedly called a press conference at the Aichi Prefectural Shooting Range and pressed domestic and foreign journalists not to use the name "North Korea," but only its "official name," the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. While avoiding dialogue and exchanges, the delegation immediately protested matters it found objectionable.

As North Korea's closed-off attitude continued, signs of a desire to keep their distance have also emerged among South Korean athletes, who had hoped sports could serve as a catalyst for improving strained inter-Korean relations. Canoe athletes and officials who had formed close relationships with their North Korean counterparts after winning gold together as members of a unified Korean team at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games were reported to have exchanged little more than nods this time around.

"Basically, we're people too, so it's true that we feel bad about it," a sports official said. "Considering the circumstances North Korean athletes are in, there is also a tendency for us to avoid greeting them first."

Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and a former member of a unified inter-Korean table tennis team, also publicly expressed disappointment with North Korea's attitude at a media briefing at the Games, saying, "We don't try to force contact."

"The two sides have to interact, but we're not accustomed to one-sided interaction," he said. "We're busy taking care of our own athletes, and I don't think it's right for us to try to resolve strained relations at the same time." However, he left open the possibility that sports could help improve relations, saying, "If an atmosphere for inter-Korean dialogue is created, sports can play a role."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

参加2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会的朝鲜运动员在日本受到严密监视，他们经常被要求进行自我批评，并且很少与外界接触。在比赛场馆和住宿地点，他们与其他运动员隔离，据报道可能受到安保人员的监视。8月24日，在名古屋市立体育馆，有运动员短暂使用智能手机后将其藏起，以免被外人看到。8月28日，朝鲜还要求记者使用其正式国名“朝鲜民主主义人民共和国”，此举也引起了外界关注。

一位奥运会官员表示，朝鲜运动员不允许外出或在住处进行单独训练，与外界隔绝。

据称，一些被认为是国家安全部特工的人员被安排在运动员居住的楼层。

8月24日，在名古屋市立体育馆，朝鲜运动员被目击围着一部智能手机，互相传看照片，当一名韩国记者上前询问时，他们又把手机藏了起来。

8月28日，朝鲜代表团在爱知县射击场举行新闻发布会，要求记者使用其正式名称“朝鲜民主主义人民共和国”。

韩国体育奥林匹克委员会主席柳承敏表示，只有营造韩朝对话的氛围，体育才能帮助改善两国关系。

发布于2026年10月3日下午1点（韩国标准时间）

8月24日，在日本爱知县名古屋市立体育馆，一名朝鲜国家体操队运动员与队友一起翻看智能手机拍摄的照片。（韩国时报 金亨俊 摄）

朝鲜利用 2026 年爱知-名古屋亚运会在国际舞台上展示其在战略体育方面的实力，同时在国内弘扬民族自豪感和团结精神。

但参加奥运会的朝鲜运动员都是十几岁到二十几岁的年轻人，他们在日本期间一直压抑着自己的青春活力，受到严格的自我批评和管控。

据该报报道，朝鲜代表团在本届奥运会期间经常举行自我批评会议；完全封锁比赛场馆内外与外界的接触和交流；并在比赛时间之外有效地将运动员限制在住所内。

在举重场馆，尽管有外人在场，运动员们还是公开进行自我批评；在足球场、射击场、体操场和皮划艇场馆，朝鲜运动员与奥运会所倡导的“交流与和谐”隔绝开来。

一位奥运会官员表示：“即使朝鲜运动员与其他国家的运动员一起住在组委会指定的住所，他们也不被允许外出，甚至不能单独训练，完全与外界隔绝。据信是朝鲜国家安全部（该国情报机构）特工的人员似乎被安排在运动员居住的楼层。”

他说，没有任何报道称朝鲜运动员在住处附近散步，更不用说去便利店购物了。

然而，在各种比赛场地，我们都能看到朝鲜运动员在官方限制和同行利益之间左右为难的场景。8月24日，在名古屋市立体育馆举行的体操比赛中，运动员们坐在看台上，看起来就像其他十几岁或二十几岁的年轻人一样，围着手机互相传阅着自己拍摄的照片。但当韩国记者走近或其他国家的运动员与他们打招呼时，他们立刻藏起手机，表情也变得僵硬起来。

10月2日，在日本福井静冈体育场举行的爱知-名古屋亚运会颁奖仪式上，朝鲜女足国家队队员合影留念。（路透社-韩联社）

当24岁的韩国选手吕瑞贞在女子跳马比赛中击败朝鲜选手安昌玉夺得金牌时，其他国家的运动员纷纷鼓掌欢呼。然而，朝鲜代表团却纹丝不动地坐在那里，甚至连鼓掌都没有，这一幕似乎有悖于体育精神。

8月28日，朝鲜代表团出人意料地在爱知县射击场召开新闻发布会，并要求国内外记者不要使用“朝鲜”这个名称，而只能使用其“正式名称”——朝鲜民主主义人民共和国。代表团在回避对话和交流的同时，立即对他们认为不妥的事情提出抗议。

随着朝鲜持续采取封闭态度，韩国运动员也表现出希望与朝鲜保持距离的迹象。他们原本希望体育能够成为改善朝韩紧张关系的催化剂。据报道，曾在2018年雅加达-巨港亚运会上作为朝韩联队成员共同夺得金牌，并与朝鲜同行建立了密切关系的皮划艇运动员和官员，此次与朝鲜方面几乎没有任何交流，只是点头示意。

一位体育官员表示：“说到底，我们也是人，所以我们对此感到难过也是情有可原的。考虑到朝鲜运动员的处境，我们也倾向于避免主动与他们打招呼。”

韩国体育奥林匹克委员会主席、前韩朝乒乓球队队员柳承敏在奥运会期间的新闻发布会上也公开对朝鲜的态度表示失望，他说：“我们不会试图强迫接触。”

他说：“双方必须互动，但我们不习惯单方面互动。我们正忙于照顾自己的运动员，我认为我们不应该同时试图解决紧张关系。”不过，他并未排除体育有助于改善关系的可能性，并表示：“如果能营造出韩朝对话的氛围，体育就能发挥作用。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。