In 2019, Kim said that North Korea should show its wisdom and power in international competitions, according to the Chosun Sinbo. He added that North Korea would also need to successfully host international events on its soil, such as the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge Plus Pyongyang Open in July and the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship in October. However, the Chosun Sinbo didn’t report whether Kim talked about forming unified teams with South Korea and having a joint parade at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month approved a proposal by the two Koreas and allowed them to compete together as one team in women’s basketball, women’s field hockey, rowing and judo from the qualification phase for Tokyo 2020.

South Korea’s Korean Olympic and Sport Committee (KSOC) last month made a proposal to North Korea to have a meeting to discuss the team selection process and schedule for joint training, but Pyongyang has yet to respond. However, Kim apparently had a positive view on fielding unified teams, according to the report, as he mentioned the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Games in South Korea where the two sides collaborated in women’s ice hockey as a single team. Kim said that the unified team “inspired” the development in inter-Korean relations and the fighting spirit of the Korean people.

(Yonhap)