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Kim Yong Rok was born and bred in Chollima District, Nampho Municipality.
Unfortunately, he was injured in his two arms in an unexpected accident soon after he entered the then Jegang Middle School in Chollima District.
The greatest worry his family had about the disabled son was how to continue his study in the future.
Such a worry was alleviated soon.
Thanks to the warm assistance rendered by many teachers including the class teacher and fellow students and his own persevering efforts, Yong Rok began to write by holding a pen with his two arms.
At last, he came to write freely without the help of others and finished the middle school with honours.
After that, he began to learn how to play table tennis.
He was confident that everything hinges on determination and effort leads to success. It encouraged him to jump into the world of table tennis.
At the table-tennis room, everyone willingly taught him the techniques of table tennis and became his training partner.
As a result, he acquired effective table-tennis techniques and won the singles at the table-tennis tournament of persons with disabilities and amateurs in 2016 for the first time.
At the time he felt again the deep gratitude to many people who had kindly helped him and the country’s policy on the protection of the disabled and made up his mind to bring honour to the country with gold medals, he recalled.
Later, he became a table-tennis player of the Korean Sports Association of the Disabled and participated in international competitions. He stood on the winners’ podium there and then was awarded the Kim Il Sung Youth Honour Prize, the top honour of the Korean youth.
Yong Rok also collected three gold medals at several international competitions this year.
The Pyongyang Times, launched on May 6, 1965, is the DPRK's only English newspaper. It gives latest, detailed information about what is going on in the country in politics, the economy, culture and other sectors. And the paper also provides a vast knowledge of the nooks and crannies of Pyongyang.