North Korean minister arrives in Japan to attend Olympic meeting

TOKYO (Kyodo) – North Korea's Sports Minister Kim Il Guk arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday to attend a major international sports meeting later in the week, after the Japanese government authorized him.

Japan has banned the entry of North Koreans as part of the unilateral sanctions imposed on Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. Japan and North Korea do not have diplomatic ties.

The North Korean Minister of Physical Culture and Sports is scheduled to attend the two-day meeting of the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees, which will begin Wednesday in Tokyo, the Cabinet Secretary said. Yoshihide Suga, at a press conference. Tokyo is the host of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The government has decided to allow Kim to enter Japan in an "exceptional case" in the spirit of international sport that prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality, he said.

There is no plan for Japanese ministers to discuss with Kim, the government spokesman said.

After leaving Pyongyang on Saturday, the North Korean Sports Minister, who also chairs the country's Olympic Committee, went to Tokyo from Beijing.

Some 1,300 officials will participate in the General Assembly, including Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee.