sports

From mountain village girl to world’s Taekwon-Do queen 

Jang Kyong Ok, winner of Kim Il Sung Youth Honour Prize, Labour Hero and People’s Athlete, was born and grew up in a mountain village of Kosong County, Kangwon Province.

After starting her martial art career in her early age, she possessed great physical and technical abilities in a short time and won victories one after another in international games, thus demonstrating the dignity and honour of the country.

Especially, she won the woman’s best technical prize cup and four gold medals at the Ninth Taekwon-Do World Championships in Malaysia in July 1994, thus being officially recognized as a Taekwon-Do star. At that time, many Taekwon-Do experts and officials concerned called her Taekwon-Do queen while admiring her strong and perfect movements.

She trained many world-class players in the period when she worked as a coach after winding up her career as a player, contributing to bringing honour to the homeland of Taekwon-Do.

Honour earned by option

Hwang Mi Yong, another Taekwon-Do star, had an exceptional aptitude for sports and art in her childhood.

Her parents were very proud of her slender figure, graceful face and artistic skills and looked forward to her success in the art world.

At the crossroads of deciding art or sports, Hwang made her mind to do sports and set foot in the Taekwon-Do world. 

A few years later, she took part in the Fifth Taekwon-Do World Championships in Greece and fully displayed the ability she had honed through hard training. At the team sparring event, she played a decisive role in defeating her rival by dint of kicking down by employing her powerful special techniques and leading her side in winning a trophy.

All the spectators wondered at and admired her playing as they looked at the match of the frail-looking and graceful girl who made a sudden rise from obscurity and demonstrated her might and spirit like a superwoman in international games. 

She took the first place in different events at the Sixth Taekwon-Do World Championships held in Hungary the following year.

She garnered 10 gold medals in three international games and contributed greatly to exalting the honour of the country at seven international games including five rounds of Taekwon-Do world championships.

She trained talented Taekwon-Do players including six People’s Athletes and 14 Merited Athletes.