According to South Korean media reports on Wednesday, September 23, at least two members of the North Korean delegation sent to Japan to participate in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have expressed their unwillingness to return to Pyongyang. Instead, they are hoping to seek asylum in Japan rather than South Korea.
The specific identities and positions of these two individuals within the North Korean delegation have not been disclosed, and it is unclear whether their intentions have turned into formal applications for asylum or defection.
The information was obtained through a source within the Japanese Korean community who is associated with Japanese intelligence agencies, as reported by the South Korean magazine “Monthly Chosun” on Wednesday. Speculations suggest that this source may be an official from the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office of Japan.
Pyongyang sent a delegation of 180 people led by Kim Il Guk, Chairman of the North Korean Olympic Committee and Minister of Sports, to participate in the 20th Asian Games, who arrived in Japan on September 17.
This marks the first time in eight years that Pyongyang has sent a ministerial-level official to visit Japan and the first time in 41 years that North Korea has participated in an international sports event held in Japan, with the last event being the Kobe Universiade in 1985.
Kim Il Guk entered Japan in his capacity as Chairman of the North Korean Olympic Committee and was welcomed by members of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.
The relationship between North Korea and Japan has been tense for years due to issues such as nuclear weapons, missile tests, the abduction of Japanese citizens, and colonial history. Japan generally prohibits entry for North Korean citizens but has made exceptions for sports exchanges.
According to Kyodo News, a Japanese government official responsible for North Korean affairs attempted to contact Kim Il Guk after the North Korean delegation attended the opening ceremony of the Asian Games but was blocked by accompanying North Korean personnel. Kim Il Guk did not respond and left without any communication.
This is not the first time North Koreans have sought asylum in Japan. In October 1983, a North Korean soldier hid on a Japanese ship to escape from North Korea. After illegally entering Japan and staying there for five years, Tokyo deliberated on his status. Ultimately, Japan granted him political asylum in December 1988.
During the Asian Games, an incident occurred where the national anthem of North Korea was mistakenly played before a field hockey match between South Korea and Bangladesh. South Korean officials have lodged a formal protest regarding this incident.