Can Japan and South Korea draw up a Plan B for Asian security?
North Korea intends to field around 100 athletes across 14 sports at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, according to a senior National Olympic Committee official. In an interview with a Tokyo-based pro-North Korean newspaper, the NOC Secretary General, Ko Chol-ho, expressed optimism that the delegation would achieve more medal success compared to their previous performance.
North Korea had previously sent 185 athletes in 18 sports to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which were held in September 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delegation returned with 11 gold, 18 silver, and 10 bronze medals. Ko highlighted the efforts made by North Korean athletes in recent years, stating that they have done everything possible to deliver better results amidst high expectations from the country and its people.
The 2026 roster includes two Korean athletes from Japan - footballer Ri Song-a and karate practitioner Jong Se-ri. The quadrennial competition will be held in and around Aichi Prefecture in Japan.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- N. Korea to send some 100 athletes to 2026 Asian Games koreatimes.co.kr
