Chang Ung, a former International Olympic Committee (IOC) member from North Korea, died on May 29, the IOC announced on June 1 (Korea time). He was 87.
"We express our deepest condolences. The Olympic flag will fly at half-mast for three days at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland," the IOC said on its official website. North Korean state media, including the Korean Central News Agency, have not yet reported Chang's death.
Born in Pyongyang on July 5, 1938, Chang was a former basketball player who competed on North Korea's national team before transitioning to a career in sports leadership.
He later served as an administrator at the North Korean Olympic Committee. Starting with his participation as an interpreter at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he expanded his presence on the international sports stage by attending various international conferences as a North Korean representative.
Chang was elected as an IOC member alongside the late Lee Kun-hee, former Samsung Group chairman, at the 1996 IOC Session and served for more than 20 years as an international sports figure representing North Korea's position.
Chang began experiencing health problems in the late 2010s. During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he visited South Korea but returned to North Korea without attending the closing ceremony due to health reasons. He last appeared on the international sports stage at the 134th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland, in June 2019.
In October 2023, he attended the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai, India, via video link and received the Olympic Order (Merit).
Chang is regarded as a figure who played a crucial role in easing inter-Korean tensions through sports. He took on a key role in the 1986 inter-Korean sports talks and, as the North Korean chairman of the working committee, contributed significantly to the formation of a unified Korean team at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba.
He also served as a driving force behind the joint inter-Korean marches at the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The IOC provided a detailed account of Chang's inter-Korean exchange activities, saying he was "a person who emphasized the unifying power of sports" and "consistently advocated for dialogue through sports."
The IOC also noted that "Chang acted as a mediator in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between World Taekwondo (WT, then WTF) and the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games," adding that "the two organizations had been fiercely competing before, but have since coexisted peacefully."
The IOC further stated that "Chang's efforts led to the joint inter-Korean marches at the opening ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics and the PyeongChang Olympics," calling it "a symbolic demonstration of the unifying power of sports."
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said, "Chang dedicated his entire life to sports and the Olympic movement," adding, "His efforts to promote cooperation on the Korean Peninsula demonstrated the power of sports."
Chang is survived by his son Chang Jong-hyok, a former North Korean national football team goalkeeper who worked at the IOC, and his daughter Chang Jong-hyang, who served as women's volleyball coach at the Pyongyang Sports Club and is active as an international volleyball referee.