North Korea at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

In 1991 Kim Gwang-suk won the first medal, a gold on uneven bars, for North Korea at the World Championships. However, her win became controversial when it was discovered that North Korean officials had falsified her birth year as it was listed as 15 for three years in a row. Although the International Gymnastics Federation punished the North Korean gymnastics federation by barring their women's team from competing at the 1993 World Championships, they did allow Kim to keep her medal. North Korea faced further age-falsification controversy when it was discovered that 2007 World silver medalist Hong Su-jong had listed three different birth years (1989, 1985 and 1986) between 2003 and 2010.

Pae Gil-su became the first North Korean man to win a World Championships medal, winning gold on pommel horse in 1992.