- Sun
- May 19, 2013
- Updated: 8:15pm
Trending topics
Sponsored topics
North Korea
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a country in East Asia, located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering South Korea and China. Its capital, Pyongyang, is the country's largest city by both land area and population. It is a single-party state led by the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), and governed by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un since 2012. It has a population of 24,052,231 (UN-assisted DPRK census 2008) made up of Koreans and a smaller Chinese minority. Japan 'opened' Korea in 1876 and annexed it in 1910. The Republic of Korea (ROK) was founded with US support in the south in August 1948 and the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north in September that year.
North Korea forms new sports body led by Kim’s uncle
In Pictures
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Editor's Pick
Man of the moment Riccardo Tisci's dark, sensual designs for Givenchy come straight from the heart, writes Jing Zhang.
North Korea’s ruling communist party on Sunday announced a new sports body headed by the uncle of leader Kim Jong-un, state media said.
Jang Song-thaek was named head of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission, which will “control the overall sports work of the country in a unified manner”, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Jang – the husband of late leader Kim Jong-il’s sister Kim Kyong-hui – is seen as a key figure in the North’s power elite.
The formation of the commission, aimed at helping the North become a global “sports power”, comes after the secretive and impoverished communist country won four gold and two bronze medals at this year’s London Olympics – in weightlifting, judo and wrestling.
Athletes thanked past and present rulers for their performance. Official propaganda bestows near-godlike status on the Kim dynasty, who are customarily credited with inspiring all national achievements.
