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Jon Ju Hyon claims DPRK’s first para games medal in 12 years amid return to top-level competition
North Korean para table tennis player Jon Ju Hyon | Image: Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (Jan. 30, 2026), edited by NK News
North Korean athlete Jon Ju Hyon won a silver medal in table tennis at the Fifth Asian Para Games on Tuesday, the country’s first medal at the ongoing multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities.
Jon finished second in the men’s singles event of the Class 6 category, a para table tennis classification for athletes who stand while competing despite limb impairments or moderate-to-severe balance and functional issues.
In the final, Jon went down by a margin of three sets to one against Thailand’s Rungroj Thainiyom, Asia’s top-ranked Class 6 player.
The North Korean table tennis player had prevailed against Thainiyom
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