N. Korean sports minister arrives in Japan ahead of Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan — The sports minister of North Korea, Kim Il-guk, and head of his country's delegation for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, arrived in Japan on Thursday, arriving two days prior to the official opening ceremony. Kim, who concurrently serves as the president of the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), departed Pyongyang on Tuesday and reached Nagoya via China two days later.

The DPRK is the official designation for North Korea. Accompanied by several other officials, Kim arrived at Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya but did not engage with reporters upon landing. Kim's arrival was greeted by representatives from the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, commonly referred to as Chongryon, as well as other North Korean residents residing in Japan.

This marks the first such visit by a North Korean ministerial-level official to Japan in eight years. The last North Korean minister to visit Japan did so in 2018, heading to Tokyo to attend a general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC).