SEOUL — North Korea has sent a minister-led delegation to Japan for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, marking another closely watched appearance by Pyongyang at a major international sporting event.
North Korea’s Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Kim Il-guk led the delegation out of Pyongyang International Airport on Tuesday, according to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), as reported by Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday.
First Vice Minister Kim Yong-gwon was reported to have seen the delegation off.
The 20th Asian Games officially open in Japan on September 19 and will run through October 4, with competitions taking place across Aichi Prefecture and other venues.
107 North Korean athletes set to compete
North Korea is sending 107 athletes across 14 sports, according to the latest Yonhap report.
The country’s athletes are scheduled to compete in disciplines including football, weightlifting, table tennis and wrestling.
The delegation is smaller than North Korea’s team at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where 185 athletes competed in 18 sports and the country won 11 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze medals, according to Reuters.
North Korea’s football teams already in Japan
North Korea’s participation has already begun in football.
The women’s football team arrived in Osaka last week and opened its Asian Games campaign with a 10-0 victory over Bangladesh in Group F on September 14.
The men’s team was also scheduled to face China on Wednesday in a Group B match at Wave Stadium Kariya.
The football competition began before the official opening ceremony because of scheduling requirements for the tournament.
Japan’s decision to admit the North Korean delegation
North Korea’s participation has attracted additional attention because of its often tense relationship with Japan.
Japan generally maintains restrictions on the entry of North Korean nationals as part of its sanctions policy. However, Japanese authorities have previously made exceptions for sporting exchanges, including North Korean football teams that traveled to Japan for international matches in 2024.
Japanese authorities were reported earlier this month to be considering arrangements to allow North Korean athletes to enter for the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
North Korea’s participation therefore represents not only a sporting development but also a closely watched international exchange involving athletes from a country whose relations with Japan remain complicated.
A smaller team after a period of limited international competition
Reuters previously reported that North Korea planned to send roughly 100 athletes across 14 sports, reflecting a smaller international sports presence than at the previous Asian Games.
North Korea sharply reduced overseas sporting participation during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not compete at several major international events during that period.
Its return to major competitions has consequently made the country’s athletes a notable part of the Asian Games field.
The Asian Games backdrop
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are expected to bring more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions, according to Reuters’ pre-Games reporting.
The event will be Japan’s third time hosting the Asian Games, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
Organizers have also faced logistical challenges ahead of the Games, including accommodation arrangements for thousands of athletes and officials. Reuters reported that participants are being housed in hotels, Airbnbs, temporary accommodation and the cruise ship Costa Serena because organizers did not build a traditional Athletes’ Village.
More than medals on the line
For North Korea, the Aichi-Nagoya Games provide an opportunity to measure its athletes against competitors from across Asia after years of restricted participation in international sport.
For Japan, the presence of a North Korean delegation adds another layer of international attention to an already significant regional sporting event.
As the Games officially open this weekend, North Korea’s athletes will now face their biggest test: turning a carefully assembled return to international competition into results on the field.
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