Chang Ung, North Korean Ex-IOC Member Who Brokered Olympic Joint Marches, Dies at 87
The International Olympic Committee has announced with "extreme sadness" the passing of Chang Ung, the former North Korean IOC member who played a pivotal role in orchestrating historic joint marches between North and South Korean athletes at Olympic Games. He was 87 years old.
A Life Dedicated to Sports and Diplomacy
Born in 1938, Chang Ung began his career as a basketball player, captaining the North Korean national team before transitioning to sports administration. He served as vice sports minister, vice chairman of North Korea's national Olympic Committee, and vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia before his landmark election to the IOC in 1996.
As North Korea's only-ever IOC member, Chang represented his nation on the global sports stage for decades, navigating complex political landscapes to foster athletic exchanges between the divided Korean peninsula.
Historic Olympic Moments
Chang's most significant diplomatic achievement came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where athletes from both Koreas marched together under a "unification flag" depicting their shared peninsula during opening and closing ceremonies. This marked the first joint parade since the countries' division in 1945.
The tradition continued at subsequent Olympic Games, including the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, where Chang told reporters he was "deeply moved" watching the joint march. His earlier negotiations also led to the first unified Korean teams at the 1991 world table tennis championships and the first combined Olympic team for women's ice hockey in Pyeongchang.
Legacy Amidst Political Tensions
Despite these historic breakthroughs, sports ties between North and South Korea have deteriorated in recent years as political relations have frayed. North Korea has shunned talks with South Korea and the United States since nuclear diplomacy collapsed in 2019, with leader Kim Jong Un branding South Korea a permanent enemy and rejecting future unification.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry praised Chang's contributions, stating: "His efforts to promote cooperation on the Korean Peninsula demonstrated the power of sport to build bridges and inspire hope." The IOC announced the Olympic flag would fly at half-mast for three days at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, in Chang's honor.
Recognition and Service
Chang served on several IOC commissions including Sport for All and the International Olympic Truce Foundation. In 2023, he was awarded the Olympic Order for extraordinary contributions to the Olympics during an IOC session in Mumbai, India, participating in the ceremony by video as an honorary IOC member.
The IOC statement did not specify the cause of Chang's death, which occurred on Sunday. North Korea's state media has not reported on his passing, though the country's official news agency last mentioned him in connection with his Olympic Order recognition.
