North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk Visits Japan for the First Time in 8 Years to Coincide with the Nagoya Asian Games

[Financial News] North Korean Minister of Sports Kim Il-guk is scheduled to visit Japan for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which open on the 19th.
According to Japan's Jiji Press, the Association of Korean Sports in Japan announced on the 12th that "Minister of Sports Kim is visiting Japan as a representative because he is the chairman of the North Korean Olympic Committee."
If Minister of Sports Kim visits Japan, it will be the first visit by a sitting North Korean cabinet minister in about eight years. Kim Il-guk previously visited Japan in November 2018 to attend the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), held in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, a North Korean delegation is also participating in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. According to Kyodo News, the North Korean national football team entered Japan via Kansai International Airport in Osaka on the 11th.
The Japanese government generally prohibits the entry of North Korean nationals as part of its unilateral sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile development, but makes exceptions for visits for international sports exchanges. According to a source familiar with North Korea-Japan relations, permission for the North Korean national football team to enter Japan was granted on the 10th.
An official from Chongryon, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, predicted that the total size of the North Korean delegation, including athletes and officials, would reach approximately 180 people. This is the largest North Korean delegation ever to visit Japan for a sports competition.
[email protected] Hong Chae-wan Reporter