North Korea Wants More Athletes

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - APRIL 03: North Korea's tallest structure, the Ryugyong Hotel, is seen on April 3, 2011 in Pyongyang, North Korea. Pyongyang is the capital city of North Korea and the population is about 2,500,000. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

(ATR) A North Korean official said the country is emphasizing sports so citizens can "contribute to labor and national defense."

Yang Song Ho, a North Korean sports professor and an official with the North Korean Asian Games team spoke at a sports science conference in Incheon, South Korea on Wednesday.

"The DPRK (North Korea) has put forward sports as an important project in achieving the prosperity of the country and nation," the Reuters News Agency reported Yang as saying.

Yang said officials hope the sport emphasis leads to "comprehensively developed human beings possessed of sound body and sturdy willpower so that they can contribute to labor and national defense."

"We should raise more fiercely the strong wind of conducting sports throughout the country."

North Korea sent 51 athletes to the 2012 London Olympics winning 6 medals and 63 athletes to the 2008 Beijing Olympics winning 6 medals. In the winter Olympics, North Korea did not participate in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and sent 2 athletes to Vancouver in 2010 winning no medals. An estimated 25 million people live in North Korea.

North Korea will send 150 athletes to this years Asian Games. The Games are scheduled to start Sept. 19 in Incheon, South Korea. Officially North Korea is still at war with South Korea.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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