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North Korean athletes were observed departing for the Paris Olympics on Saturday, as they geared up to compete in the summer Games for the first time in eight years, according to AFP reporters.
The athletes were seen posing for pictures at Pyongyang airport, dressed in white blazers adorned with their national flag and badges featuring their former leaders.
It is anticipated that around 16 North Korean athletes will take part in approximately seven Olympic events in Paris, including boxing and table tennis, as reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Kim Il Guk, North Korea's culture and sports minister, was among the delegation traveling to Paris on Saturday.
Thousands of athletes have begun arriving in the French capital in preparation for the event scheduled from July 26 to August 11.
The nuclear-armed North opted not to send a delegation to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
The country was subsequently excluded from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after its non-participation in Tokyo in 2021.
North Korea's last appearance in the summer Games was in 2016 at the Rio Olympics, where they secured two gold medals.
Rim Jong Sim won gold in women's weightlifting, and Ri Se Gwang claimed gold in men's vault.
