To Win Three Consecutive Victories
Table tennis is a specialized event of the Kansong Primary School in Phyongchon District of Pyongyang.
Women's table tennis group members of the school have taken the first place in the women's table tennis event of the national sports contest of schoolchildren for three years.
In 2019 PE teacher Ri Kum Hui came to this school, who led the women's table tennis to three consecutive victories.
She said:
"Frankly speaking, I had thought of being a coach of a sports team.
When a player comes off a victor at an international game, the name of his or her coach is known and the coach gains honour. But such fame and honour are not given to the primary school teachers.
I think, however, the primary school teachers find out the natural qualities and aptitudes of pupils, put the table tennis rackets in their hands for the first time and help them lay a solid foundation. They feel a great pride in doing so."
Ri Kum Hui built a good training hall and selected pupils with suitable physical constitution. She guided the training while demonstrating different technical movements starting with the basic ones.
Along with the lapse of years, the foundation of pupils became solid and their hitting movements skilled.
Ri Kum Hui perfected various technical movements according to the level of each pupil. At the same time, she constantly studied new table tennis techniques in accordance with the trend of development of modern table tennis and put them into practice.
The pupils' abilities greatly improved every year, which enabled them to prove successful in the games.
The women's table tennis group members of the Kansong Primary School in Phyongchon District took part in the national sports contest of schoolchildren for the first time in 2024 and came first.
They led the games on their own initiative according to the tactics they made after grasping their opponents in time. Their correct judgment, high sense of game and ability of match play evoked the admiration of the spectators.
They took the first place in 2025, too, and thus clearly showed that their first victory was not an accident of chance as well as their high table tennis ability.
Ri Kum Hui advanced for the third victory with great confidence.
In fact, nobody thought that the school would come first again this year.
Because the group members with no experience and short career as table tennis players had to play the matches without the main players.
But the pupils conducted hundreds of intensive ball hitting drills a day and in the course, mastered different hitting techniques.
Ri Kum Hui paid special concern to making every pupil acquire special skills according to their physical constitutions.
As a result, the school could win three consecutive victories.
Ri Kum Hui said:
"I teach pupils how to play table tennis, but they cannot prove successful soon.
Perhaps, it may take 10 years, 20 years or more for my disciples to take part in international games.
But those pupils fly the national flag on the international arena and grow to be people's athletes, which is attributable to our primary school teachers, I think.
If my pupils grow to be players representing the country, I have nothing more to desire, and I will do my duty to train them so wonderfully."
It is the goal of the table tennis group of the Kansong Primary School in Phyongchon District to win the primary school men's and women's table tennis championship.