North Korea launched its 2026 National Winter Sports Competition. The state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Thursday that the event had kicked off, with the opening ceremony held on Wednesday at the ice hockey arena in the Baekdu Mountain Sports Village in Samjiyon City.

Following the ceremony, a hockey match was held between the Taesongsan Sports Team and the Pyongyang Railway Bureau Sports Team.

The front page highlighted the surge in youth enthusiasm across key sectors following the 80th anniversary celebration of the Socialist Patriotic Youth Alliance. The paper emphasized that numerous young volunteers have stepped forward to contribute to socialist construction efforts, driven by their commitment to the party's vision.

Page two highlighted the "January 8 Fisheries Enterprise," whose vehicles cover approximately 2,440 miles each month to deliver fish to orphanages and schools nationwide. The same page also praised a product review meeting held last April in Pyongyang, framing it as validation of the party's local development strategies.

An article on page three, titled "The Primary Goal of Rural Modernization and Development," stressed the need for ongoing advancements in agricultural technology. It argued that further mechanization and modernization of rural management would boost agricultural productivity and accelerate the transformation of rural life.

Page five featured a piece called "Valuing Principles and Data," which underscored the high expectations placed on economic leaders by the party and the people. It called on these officials to demonstrate exceptional responsibility and a scientific approach in their efforts to achieve greater success.

The final page included an article asserting that the rightward shift in capitalist politics is inevitable. It claimed that far-right forces have historically caused social instability and suggested that as capitalism's crisis deepens, this rightward trend will accelerate, hastening the decline of what it termed a reactionary society.

North Korea launched its 2026 National Winter Sports Competition. The state-run newspaper …

North Korea's 2026 Winter Sports Games: Highlights and Key Events