North Korean Athletes Arrive in Japan for Asian Games — SkimNews
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- North Korean athletes arrived in Japan on Sep 11 wearing white blazers and pink ties, greeted in Osaka by pro-Pyongyang supporters who sang songs, waved the DPRK flag, and handed out bouquets.
- More than 100 North Korean athletes will compete in 14 sports at the Nagoya-Aichi Games; football starts before the Sep 19 opening ceremony, with the men's team facing China on Sep 16.
- North Korea suspended international sporting competition during the pandemic but returned at the 2023 Asian Games in China and the Paris Olympics.
- Japan normally blocks North Korean entry under sanctions tied to nuclear and missile programs — athletes get an exception — though the two countries have no diplomatic relations.
- A Sep 21 women's football match against South Korea is the highest-profile inter-Korean sporting contact of the tournament, with the women's team first facing Bangladesh on Monday.
- Pro-North Korean outlet Choson Sinbo published a video of Korea University students teaching chants and urging supporters in Japan to attend events wearing North Korea's red.
Why it matters: North Korea's 100+ athletes across 14 sports extend its post-pandemic return to international sport. The Sep 21 women's football match against South Korea will be the highest-profile inter-Korean sporting contact this year, running parallel to Japan's standard entry ban under nuclear-program sanctions.
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