Story perspectives

North Korea Sends 100 Athletes for 2026 Asian Games

8/26/2026

Summary

North Korea Targets

North Korea will send about 100 athletes for 14 sports at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
NOC Secretary General Ko Chol Ho said squad aims to exceed haul of 11 gold, 18 silver, 10 bronze.
Footballer Ri Song-a and karateka Jong Se-ri, Japan-based ethnic Koreans, will join the North Korea squad.
Ko said the athletes hope to bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un with their performance.

Summary

Kim Commends

KeSPA President Kim Young-man praised the esports athletes at a send-off ceremony in Seoul’s Sangam Cube Convention Center.
The delegation includes 36 players, five coaches, and three officials competing in nine esports titles.
Golden Dew will give medal-winning staff commemorative Taegeuk-pattern rings engraved with coaches’ initials.
For the first time, esports athletes trained at the Jincheon National Training Center alongside traditional sports teams.

History

Historical Context

South Korea hosted the 14th Asian Games in Busan from 29 September to 14 October 2002, fielding the largest delegation of 770 athletes and winning 96 gold medals, while North Korea marched alongside under a unification flag for the first time. The planned 2026 delegations—North Korea’s athletes and South Korea’s 36-player esports squad—extend that historic inter-Korean sport diplomacy.

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North Korea Targets

North Korea will send about 100 athletes for 14 sports at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
NOC Secretary General Ko Chol Ho said squad aims to exceed haul of 11 gold, 18 silver, 10 bronze.
Footballer Ri Song-a and karateka Jong Se-ri, Japan-based ethnic Koreans, will join the North Korea squad.
Ko said the athletes hope to bring joy to Marshal Kim Jong Un with their performance.

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