Minister Choi Hwi-young applauds the victory of the disabled AG North Korean table tennis player

Korean athletes visit for encouragement… Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism "Congratulations after the game"

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-han = Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young, who visited the Asian Para Games stadium to encourage the Korean athletes, also congratulated the North Korean table tennis players on their victory.

Minister Choi visited the table tennis match site of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games held at Sky Hall Toyota in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 19th.

Minister Choi, wearing a Korean team uniform with 'TEAM KOREA' written on it, applauded with his entourage near the table tennis table where North Korea's Kim Yong-rok and Kazakhstan's Igor Hudyakov faced off.

However, Minister Choi did not have a separate conversation with the North Korean delegation nearby.

On this day, Kim Young-rok defeated Hudyakov 3-0 in the men's singles (sports level 7) group stage.

This is not the first time that Minister Choi watched and encouraged North Korean athletes at a game.

He watched the semifinals and finals of the 2025-2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) held at Suwon Stadium in Gyeonggi Province last May.

North Korea's hometown women's soccer team defeated Suwon FC Women to advance to the finals and won the championship by beating Tokyo Verdi Belleza (Japan) 1-0.

Minister Choi awarded medals to North Korean and Japanese athletes at the awards ceremony and congratulated the winning North Korean athletes.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained Minister Choi's actions today, congratulating a North Korean athlete on his first victory in about five months, as a greeting after the game ended.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism explained, "Minister Choi visited the scene to cheer on the South Korean national team, and coincidentally met the North Korean national team after they won the game against Kazakhstan, so he offered his congratulations."