PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Thousands of North Koreans have turned out with cheers and banners to welcome their country's Olympic medalists home from London. North Korean athletes won four golds and two bronzes to finish 20th in the medals standing. It was the country's best performance since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The Olympians waved bouquets from a bus as they paraded through Pyongyang on Thursday before laying the flowers at the statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. North Korean athletes routinely credit the country's leaders for strong performances. Sports are hugely popular in North Korea, and its Olympic medalists are treated like heroes. Mun Un Ju told The Associated Press she followed the Summer Games avidly on TV and came with her family to wish the winners well.
NKorean Olympians return home to heroes' welcome
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North Korea's London Olympics gold medalist for the women's 52-kg judo, An Kum Ae, waves from a bus window to greeting people in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. The Olympians paraded through Pyongyang on Thursday before laying the flowers at the statues of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. North Korean athletes won four golds and two bronzes to finish 20th in the medals standing. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
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North Korean people wave flowers as they greet their country's Olympic athletes at the Arch of Triumph after returning to Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. Thousands of North Koreans turned out with cheers and banners to welcome their country’s Olympic medalists home from London. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)
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North Korea's London Olympics gold medalists, from left, An Kum Ae in the women's 52-kg judo, Kim Un Guk in the men's 62-kg weightlifting, Om Yun Chol in the men's 56-kg weightlifting and Rim Jong Sim in the women's 69-kg weightlifting, pose together at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium after returning to Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. North Korean athletes won four golds and two bronzes to finish 20th in the medals standing. Thousands of North Koreans have turned out with cheers and banners to welcome their country’s Olympic medalists home from London. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)
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