2018 Winter Olympics

North Korea's Olympic Participation: A Brief History and Upcoming Plans

2018 Winter Olympics

North Korea sent 22 athletes to compete in five sports at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This marked a significant milestone, as it was the first time the two Koreas competed together at an Olympic Games since 2000 and 2004.

2024 Summer Olympics

North Korea, under the name Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is scheduled to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. This will be the first time the country has participated in the Summer Olympics since 2008.

IOC Suspension

North Korea was suspended from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until the end of 2022 for failing to send a team to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The IOC cited the country's ongoing travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for the suspension.

2024 Paris Olympics

Despite the IOC suspension, North Korea has since been cleared to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The country has sent a team of 16 athletes to the Games, representing a slightly smaller delegation than in 2018.

South Korea's Apology

In a recent development, Olympics organizers have deeply apologized to South Korea after a human error led to the country's 143 athletes being wrongly introduced as North Korean at the Opening Ceremony. The mistake was quickly corrected, but it highlighted the heightened tensions and sensitivities surrounding the two Koreas' participation at the Games.