A North Korean delegation led by Sports Minister Kim Il-guk reportedly left Pyongyang on Saturday to visit China.

According to the North’s state Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the delegation departed for China with Vice Sports Minister O Kwang-hyok and officials from the Chinese Embassy in North Korea seeing off at Pyongyang International Airport. 

The KCNA did not elaborate on the purpose of the visit by the sports minister, but there is a possibility that the visit is to discuss various sports projects to be held between North Korea and China this year or to attend sports events.

In September of last year, Kim and a North Korean delegation visited China for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. At the time, he was not seen engaging in high-level diplomatic activities in public.

Kim visited Russia in October last year to attend an international sports forum and met with his Russian counterpart, Oleg Matytsin, in November, who visited North Korea and discussed ways to strengthen exchanges.

Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visited North Korea last Thursday to meet with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation. Sun headed back to China on Saturday after a three-day trip.

[Photo : YONHAP News]