World Professional Wrestling King—Ryok To San
Published in 1995 by Pyongyang D.P.R.K Print  

World Professional Wrestling King—Ryok To San 력도산 is a biographical comic of Kim Sin-Nak (1924-1963), a famous wrestler from North Korea who became a major figure in wrestling competitions in Japan during the 1950s. Born in South Hamkyŏng province in what is now North Korea, Kim moved to Japan to become a sumo wrestler during the Japanese colonial period. Japanese sumo fans would not accept a Korean competitor, so Kim used a Japanese ring name—Rikidozan. The Korean version of his ring name, Ryok To San, translates as “rugged mountain road.”            

Despite success in the ring, Kim’s sumo career was dogged by anti-Korean discrimination. In 1950, Kim gave up on sumo and became a mainstream, professional wrestler on the Japanese circuit in 1951. He quickly established himself as Japan’s greatest wrestling star by defeating one American wrestler after another.           

Rikidozan’s popularity stemmed in large part from the wounded national pride of his Japanese fans. Still stinging from their collective defeat in World War II, the Japanese public needed to see figures who could best the Americans in some way, however symbolic. And when Rikidozan did, they responded enthusiastically.                   

In this comic, and in North Korean culture, Ryok To San is depicted as a patriotic figure: a man who rose to incredible heights despite the challenges of a harsh, foreign society. Throughout, Ryok To San is glorified as someone who can defeat foreigners. In contemporary North Korea his mythology lives on in a variety of comic books, toys and souvenirs.                        

The story of Kim Sin-Nak resonates in South Korea as well. In 2004, South Korean director Song Hae-Sŏng made a biopic about the wrestler titled Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinary with South Korean actor Sŏl Kyŏng-Ku playing the titular role.