{
  "id": 8013483,
  "title": "N. Korean sports minister arrives in Japan ahead of Asian Games",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/n-korean-sports-minister-arrives-in-japan-ahead-of-asian-games-8013483",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T11:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/20260917/n-korean-sports-minister-arrives-in-japan-ahead-of-asian-games"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NAGOYA, Japan — North Korea's sports minister and head of the country's Olympic delegation, Kim Il-guk, has arrived in Japan ahead of the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, two days before the official opening ceremony. Kim, who also holds the presidency of the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), entered the country from China via the Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya on Friday. The DPRK is the official designation for North Korea. Kim was accompanied by several other officials but did not hold a press conference upon landing. The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, also referred to as Chongryon, along with other North Korean expatriates in Japan, welcomed Kim's arrival. This marks the first time in eight years that a high-level North Korean government official has visited Japan. The last North Korean minister to set foot in Japan was Kim, who did so in 2018 to attend the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). Kim's visit to Japan is marked by his role as the head of the DPRK's Olympic committee.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA, Japan — North Korea's sports minister and chef de mission for its delegation at this year's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games arrived in Japan on Thursday, two days ahead of the official opening. Kim Il-guk, who also serves as president of the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), left Pyongyang on Tuesday and arrived at Chubu Centrair International Airport in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
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        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/lead-asiad-s-korea-beats-qatar-in-womens-volleyball-secures",
        "published": "2026-09-17T09:57:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Ex-Sports Minister Ussif to face parliamentary probe over African Games spending",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/ex-sports-minister-ussif-to-face-parliamentary-probe-over-african",
        "published": "2026-09-17T10:12:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "N. Korean sports minister arrives in Japan ahead of Asian Games",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/n-korean-sports-minister-arrives-in-japan-ahead-of-asian-games",
        "published": "2026-09-17T11:12:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "GBC Ghana",
        "title": "Don’t compare African Games spending to 2008 AFCON – Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare defends US$250m African Games expenditure",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/dont-compare-african-games-spending-to-2008-afcon-dr-kwaku-ofosu",
        "published": "2026-09-17T14:46:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}