Pyongyang: North Korea's national team has departed for Harbin, China, to participate in the upcoming 2025 Asian Winter Games, state media reported Thursday. The delegation, including members of North Korea's Olympic Committee, is led by Sports Minister and committee Chairman Kim Il-guk.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the event's organizing committee's website states that three North Korean athletes have registered to compete in figure skating. The athletes include Ryom Tae-ok and Han Kum-chol, who will participate in the pairs category, and Ro Yong-myong, who will compete in men's singles.
Ryom previously secured a bronze medal for North Korea in figure skating pairs with her former partner, Kim Ju-sik, at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo. She also represented North Korea at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, where she finished 13th overall.
In the 2017 Asian Winter Games, North Korean athletes took part in both figure skating and short track events. However, this year, the focus is solely on figure skating, with athletes considered prospective medal winners. The 2025 Asian Winter Games are scheduled to take place from Friday through February 14.