Jong Song-ok

Jong Song-ok (Korean: 정성옥; born 18 August 1974) is a female long-distance runner and politician from North Korea, who won the world title in the women's marathon at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville, Spain.

To date, it is the only medal ever won by a North Korean athlete at the World Championships.

Jong is the first North Korean sportsperson to have received the title of Heroine of the Republic.

[2] In 2000, Jong did not participate in either the Boston Marathon or the Summer Olympics in Sydney; South Korean media claimed this was due to the personal instruction of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

[1] Jong married fellow marathon runner Kim Jung-won in March 2001.