[1] Since the early 2000s, North Korean athletes have openly worn sporting equipment with logos of foreign brands on them.
After losing 3-0 to the Soviet Union, and drawing with Chile, the North Koreans defeated Italy 1-0; the winning goal was scored by Pak Doo-ik.
[9] North Korea has domestic leagues for both men and women, and all games take place at Kim Jong-Il Stadium in Pyongyang.
Traditionally major teams in the men's league include April 25, Pyongyang City, and Rimyongsu Sports Club.
[8] In 2018, the German All Stars returned to Pyongyang, taking part in 2 friendlies against DPRK Premier League team Hwaebul Sports Club.
After a 7-0 drumming in the first game, GAS stepped into the Kim Il Sung Stadium, narrowly losing 4-2.
The visit gave Middlesbrough their largest ever attendance, with both matches attracting 6,000 people each, beating the previous record of 1,000 when they played Arsenal Ladies.
[15] Performance in the Winter Olympics has however remained modest, which is described as "surprising" given the mountainous geography of North Korea.
[27] In 1995, a crew from defunct national professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling, led by company Executive Producer Eric Bischoff and former World Champion Ric Flair among others, flew to Pyongyang via China to participate in an "International Peace Festival" co-organised by North Korea and Japanese politician Antonio Inoki, himself a former professional wrestling icon.
Matches from the two shows, as well as footage from inside Pyongyang and a mass gymnastic display, were released on pay-per-view and VHS some 17 months after the event, entitled Collision in Korea, and though the PPV performed dismally, pulling a 0.15, the VHS release has become something of a cult hit among longtime wrestling fans and North Korean culture enthusiasts, the atmosphere of the show being so radically different from American wrestling's usual bombast and pageantry.
The nation returned to Olympic competition in 1992 at the Barcelona Games, winning an unprecedented nine medals in Spain, four of them gold.
At the Sydney Games in 2000,[29] and in Athens four years later, the North and South marched together in the opening and closing ceremonies under the Unification Flag, but competed separately.
Another North Korean Winter Olympic medal was a bronze in 1992 at the Albertville Games when Hwang Ok-Sil took third place in the women's 500 meters of short track speed skating.
In October 2013, Kim Jong-un introduced a new policy that allows successful athletes to receive luxury apartments in recognition for their achievements.
[31] In 2018, athletes from North and South combined to claim the first gold medal for a unified Korea at the Asian Games in a women's canoe race.
[32] Two English language documentaries have been created by British filmmaker Daniel Gordon involving North Korean sport.
The 2004 film A State of Mind follows two child gymnasts and their families as they prepare for the 2003 Arirang Festival.