Asian Games athletes face ideology drills before Japan trip

North Korea is preparing its athletes for the upcoming 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by implementing an intensive ideological education program. The directive, issued by the Workers' Party of Korea, aims to prevent ideological deviation among the elite athletes during their extended stay in Japan. Pyongyang has confirmed it will send a delegation to the games, which will take place in Aichi and Nagoya starting on September 19.

The order was given by the party's Propaganda and Agitation Department, responsible for ideological messaging and internal indoctrination campaigns. The directive emphasizes that the athletes are not ordinary sportspeople but members of Kim Jong Un's "vanguard suicide squad," deployed to defend the party and its leader in hostile Japan.

Athletes are instructed to believe that soldiers who bravely face enemy fire with a "bloodied heart" are heroes, and that athletes displaying their nation's might in enemy territory are the true heroes. Behavioral guidelines include a ban on contact with outsiders and remaining silent in the face of provocations from the South Korean delegation.

Any athlete who shows interest in capitalism or unfamiliar consumer goods could face severe punishment upon returning home. The regime is also mobilizing support networks, including the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) and local pro-Pyongyang business figures, to ensure the athletes' accommodations, security, and training logistics during their stay.