North Korean athletes leave for Paris Olympics

SEOUL: North Korean athletes left for the Paris Olympics on Saturday (Jul 20), AFP reporters saw, as they prepared to take part in the summer Games for the first time in eight years.

The athletes posed for photos at Pyongyang airport, wearing white blazers adorned with their national flag and badges featuring their former leaders.

Around 16 North Korean athletes are expected to compete in around seven Olympic events in Paris, including boxing and table tennis, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

North Korea's culture and sports minister Kim Il Guk was part of the delegation heading to Paris on Saturday.

Thousands of athletes have begun flying into the French capital ahead of event, scheduled for Jul 26 to Aug 11.

The nuclear-armed North did not send a delegation to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - which were delayed to 2021 because of the coronavirus - due to concerns over the pandemic.

The country was banned from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, after it failed to take part in Tokyo in 2021.

North Korea won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics in 2016 - the last time it participated in the Summer Games.

Rim Jong Sim took gold in women's weightlifting and Ri Se Gwang triumphed in the men's vault.