'South-North Clash' Judo Asian Games Roster... North Korea Confirms Sending 5 Athletes

*This content was translated by AI.

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, South Korean and North Korean judokas will engage in an unavoidable medal race.

South Korean judo aims to restore its honor and hunt for gold medals at this tournament. Historically, South Korea has stood on the podium a total of 125 times at the Asian Games—42 gold, 33 silver, and 50 bronze medals—ranking second only to Japan (totaling 133 medals). However, at the previous 2022 Hangzhou Games, it managed just one gold medal (Kim Ha-yoon), two silvers, and six bronzes, leaving behind a sense of regret.

The vanguard leading this turnaround are Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Government, men's over 100kg) and Heo Mi-mi (Gyeongbuk Sports Council, women's 57kg), both silver medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kim Min-jong, competing in his second Asian Games, has showcased peak form by topping the 2024 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships and the 2026 IJF Grand Slam held before and after the Paris Olympics.

Heo Mi-mi, granddaughter of independence activist Heo Seok and a Zainichi Korean, also aims to win her first Asian Games gold medal and claim double crown titles in both individual and mixed team events.

Among the rivals threatening South Korea's golden streak, North Korea Yoo Do (CEO)'s team strength is drawing attention. According to IJF registration records, North Korea will send five athletes to this tournament: men's An Sin-hyeok (60kg), No Seok-beom (73kg), and women's Kim Hyun-ah (57kg), Kim Ji-hye (63kg), and Moon Sung-hee (70kg).

Especially anticipated are the head-to-head matchups by weight class between South and North Korea. The most watched category is the women's 57kg division, where Heo Mi-mi will compete. In this weight class, North Korea's Kim Hyun-ah (world ranking 37th) will also participate. Kim Hyun-ah, the gold medalist at the 2026 Asian Championships held in China last April, is a potential rival who could challenge for the title against Heo Mi-mi.

In the women's 63kg division, Kim Ji-soo (Gyeongbuk Sports Council) will face North Korea's Kim Ji-hye (world ranking 29th), who finished third at last year's Qingdao Grand Prix and won silver at this year's Asian Championships. In the women's 70kg division, Kim Hye-mi (Gwangju Transportation Corporation) will take on Moon Sung-hee (world ranking 42nd) of North Korea, a 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games silver medalist who claimed gold at this year's Asian Championships.

The judo competitions at this Asian Games will be held over four days from September 30 to October 3 at the Aichi International Arena. Heo Mi-mi's women's 57kg and An Jae-hong's men's 73kg events are scheduled for October 1, while Kim Min-jong's men's over 100kg division will take place on October 2.

The South Korean Yoo Do (CEO) men's team consists of nine members: Lee Ha-rim (National Army·60kg), Kim Chan-nyeong (High1 Resort·66kg), An Jae-hong (Namyangju City Government·73kg/mixed team), Lee Jun-hwan (Pohang City Government·81kg), Kim Jong-hoon (Yangpyeong County Government·90kg/mixed team), Han Ju-yeop (High1 Resort·100kg/mixed team), and Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Government·over 100kg/mixed team), along with mixed team members Lee Eun-gyul (Buan County Government) and Kim Jae-min (Korea Racing Authority).

The women's team includes nine athletes: Jeong Su-jin (Yongin University·48kg), Jang Se-yoon (KH Philux·52kg), Heo Mi-mi (Gyeongbuk Sports Council·57kg/mixed team), Kim Ji-soo (Gyeongbuk Sports Council·63kg/mixed team), Kim Hye-mi (Gwangju Transportation Corporation·70kg/mixed team), Kim Min-ju (Gwangju Transportation Corporation·78kg), and Lee Hyun-ji (Yongin University·over 78kg/mixed team), plus mixed team members Shin Yu-na (Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Government) and Kim Ha-yoon (Ansan City Government), all set to compete for medals.

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*This content was translated by AI.