North Korea’s return to international competition after five years ‘unveiled’ amid tight security upon arrival in Hangzhou

They say they’re here, but there’s no sign of them. We’re talking about North Korea’s return to international competition after a five-year absence.

North Korea, which has been absent from international competitions since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, has announced its return at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games in friendly China.

According to the Korean Olympic Committee, North Korea has registered a total of 191 athletes in 18 sports with the Asian Games organizing committee. The country is expected to compete in sports it has been strong in, including soccer, track and field, wrestling, weightlifting, shooting, boxing, swimming, and shooting.

North Korea, which has been on the sidelines since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended it to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), plans to return to the international sports scene at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

According to foreign media, a delegation headed by Supreme People’s Assembly Standing Committee Chairman Choe Ryong-hae and accompanied by Labor Party Vice Chairwoman Kim Yo-jong will visit Hangzhou during the Asian Games.

Under these circumstances, it is reported that about 60 athletes arrived in Hangzhou on the evening of the 15th as a starting battalion.

The North Korean athletes departed by train from Pyongyang Station on Nov. 14 and traveled to Hangzhou by air from Dandong, a city on the border with China. They immediately moved into the athletes’ village and began preparations for the upcoming Games.

However, there was no sign of the North Korean athletes at the athletes’ village on Sunday afternoon. Unlike at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games five years ago, when the North Koreans drew attention by hanging artificial flags on the athletes’ village buildings, this time it was quiet.

Of course, it was impossible to keep a close eye. The organizers have kept the media out of the venues. It is not yet known if the upcoming induction ceremony will be covered. The media will only be able to see the athletes from a distance.안전놀이터

Information about the North Korean athletes is also shrouded in secrecy. When I asked the volunteers working at the athletes’ village for information about the North Korean team, they said they didn’t know. Unsurprisingly, the location of the North Korean athletes’ accommodation is also unknown.

It is expected that the North Korean athletes will only be seen at official events such as the opening and closing ceremonies and competitions.

Meanwhile, the rest of the North Korean team is expected to arrive in Hangzhou in the near future via a similar route to the varsity team.