The two had a 30-minute formal meeting followed by 45 minutes of casual discussions while watching a football match

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, talks to The Associated Press about his visit to North Korea in the Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, March 30, 2018. Bach arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and discuss development of sports in North Korea with the preparation of its athletes to qualify and participate in upcoming Olympics.(AP Photo)

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach met with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Friday and said the North Korean leader is committed to having his country participate in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022.

Bach told an Associated Press Television crew that the two had a 30-minute formal meeting followed by 45 minutes of casual discussions while watching a football match Friday afternoon at Pyongyang’s May Day Stadium.

He called the talks productive and said Kim expressed his appreciation for the IOC’s role in helping North Korea compete at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea last month.

“We had a very fruitful meeting where it became clear that the supreme leader has a clear vision of the role that sport can play in a society with regard to education, with regard to health,” Bach said. He added that Kim told him the North’s participation in the Pyeongchang games and marching together with South Korean athletes were an “important contribution to a peaceful dialogue.”

Bach arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss development of sports in North Korea and the preparation of its athletes to qualify and participate in upcoming Olympics. He is the first foreign official to meet Kim since the North Korean leader returned earlier this week from a summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

That was Kim’s first known trip abroad since he assumed power after the death of his father in late 2011. Kim is to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27.

Bach, who also met with North Korea’s sports minister, said he received a commitment from the county’s National Olympic Committee to participate in Tokyo in 2020 and Beijing in 2022, along with competing in the respective youth Olympic Games.

“This commitment has been fully supported by the supreme leader Kim Jong Un in a meeting we had this afternoon,” he said. “He explained that sport is a pillar in his policy for the future development of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

Both the North and South hailed the Pyeongchang games as a significant step toward easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula that reached dangerously high levels last year as the North stepped up its missile tests and detonated its largest nuclear device to date.

Since the Olympics, the North has pushed forward with a flurry of diplomatic moves. After his summit with Moon, Kim is to meet U.S. President Donald Trump by May, though the date and location of that summit have not been announced. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he is exploring the possibility of a meeting with Kim as well.

The exact reasons behind Kim’s seeming change of tactics remain something of a mystery.

Hopes have been raised that the North Korean leader may be willing to discuss his nuclear weapons program and other measures to reduce the threat of war, possibly in exchange for security guarantees and an easing of the international sanctions that have severely pinched the already struggling North Korean economy.

Kim’s talks with Bach appear to have focused mostly on sports.

Raising the level of North Korean athletes has been high on Kim’s agenda since he became leader. Of the 22 North Korean athletes who competed in Pyeongchang, only two won places on merit and the other 20 were granted special spots by the IOC.

Bach, who is German, competed in the Olympics for West Germany when the Germanys were still divided and says that gives him a special feeling for the Koreas.

“It is the mission of the International Olympic Committee always to build bridges and by building these bridges through sport we can also make a contribution to the ongoing political talks,” he said, adding that he hopes the talks will lead “in the Olympic spirit to a peaceful future for the Korean Peninsula.” </s> (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin). International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, left, is greeted by North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il Guk on his arrival at the Pyongyang Airport in North Korea, Thursday, March 29, 2018. IOC President Bach arriv...

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Friday.

Bach told an Associated Press Television crew in an exclusive interview that two had a 30-minute formal meeting followed by 45 minutes of casual discussions while watching a football match Friday afternoon at Pyongyang's huge May Day Stadium. He said Kim Jong Un supported a plan to have North Korean athletes compete in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

Bach arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss development of sports in North Korea and the preparation of its athletes to qualify and participate in upcoming Olympics. He is the first foreign official to meet Kim since the North Korean leader returned earlier this week from a summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. That was Kim's first known trip abroad since he assumed power after the death of his father in late 2011.

Kim is to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27.

Bach's trip to Pyongyang comes after the IOC played a big part in allowing North Korea to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics last month in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

He said he received a commitment from the North's National Olympic Committee to participate in the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020 and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, along with the respective youth Olympic Games.

"This commitment has been fully supported by the supreme leader Kim Jong Un in a meeting we had this afternoon," Bach said.

Both the North and South have hailed the Pyeongchang games as a significant step toward easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula that reached dangerously high levels last year as the North stepped up its missile tests and detonated its largest nuclear device to date. Since the Olympics, the North has pushed forward with a flurry of diplomatic moves. Kim is to meet U.S. President Donald Trump by May, though the exact date and location of that summit have not been announced.

The exact reasons behind Kim's seeming change of tactics remain something of a mystery.

Hopes have been raised that the North Korean leader may be willing to discuss his nuclear weapons program and other measures to reduce the threat of war, possibly in exchange for security guarantees and an easing of the international sanctions that have severely pinched the already struggling North Korean economy.

Raising the level of North Korean athletes has been high on Kim's agenda since he became leader. Of the 22 North Korean athletes who competed in Pyeongchang, only two won places on merit and the other 20 were granted special spots by the IOC.

Bach, who is German, competed in the Olympics for West Germany when the Germanys were still divided and says that gives him a special feeling for the Koreas.

While in Pyeongchang, he said he was happy with the role the IOC played but added that sports alone cannot heal all wounds.

AP Pyongyang bureau chief Eric Talmadge contributed to this report from Tokyo.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> SEOUL (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a meeting on Friday that the IOC would cooperate with the North to prepare for its participation in the 2020 Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported.

Bach traveled to Pyongyang on Thursday in a visit that comes after North Korea's participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Games helped ease inter-Korean relations.

He told Kim in a meeting that the trip was to "express the most heartfelt thanks" to North Korea's leader for helping make February's Pyeongchang Winter Olympics a Games that were "symbolic of peace," KCNA said on Saturday.

Athletes from North and South Korea marched under a unified peninsula flag at the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang and the two Koreas have experienced a significant thaw in tensions since the Feb. 9-25 Winter Olympics.

KCNA said Kim expressed thanks for the IOC's support and for cooperating with North Korea "regardless of any political climate and conditions".

He said he hoped that the IOC's relationship with the North's Olympic Committee would continue to develop favorably and expected cooperation in developing and improving sport in North Korea, the report added.

An official from South Korea's Unification Ministry said it was aware of the KCNA's report but declined to comment further.

Bach had accepted North Korea's invitation in February, and told Reuters at the time that he saw sports as a way to reduce political tensions.

After Kim made a surprise trip this week to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, his engagement with the international community has sparked speculation he may try to meet other leaders ahead of summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and United States President Donald Trump.

The two Koreas have experienced a significant easing in tensions since the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February, leading them to set a date to hold their first summit in more than a decade on April 27. </s> SEOUL, March 29 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach travelled to Pyongyang on Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported, a visit that comes after North Korea’s participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Games helped ease inter-Korean relations.

Bach took North Korea’s state airline Air Koryo from Beijing Capital International Airport with 10 other IOC officials, South Korea’s Yonhap said.

Bach told Reuters during the Feb. 9-25 Winter Olympics that he would make the visit on the North’s invitation as part of an agreement between the IOC and both North and South Korea.

Athletes from North and South Korea marched under a unified peninsula flag at the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang and the two Koreas have experienced a significant thaw in tensions since the Winter Olympics.

Bach’s itinerary in Pyongyang remains unclear but his visit comes amid a flurry of international outreach by North Korea.

After North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a surprise visit to Beijing this week — his first known trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011 — his engagement with the international community has sparked speculation that he may try to meet other leaders ahead of the summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and United States President Trump.

Japan’s Asahi newspaper said on Thursday Japan had sounded out North Korea about a bilateral summit.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry announced Thursday that the two Korea had set a date to hold their first summit in more than a decade on April 27.

The two Koreas are technically still at war after the 1950-1953 conflict ended with a ceasefire, not a peace agreement. </s> PYONGYANG, Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of — International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach met with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Friday and said the North Korean leader is committed to having his country participate in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022.

Bach told an Associated Press Television crew that the two had a 30-minute formal meeting followed by 45 minutes of casual discussions while watching a football match Friday afternoon at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium.

He called the talks productive and said Kim expressed his appreciation for the IOC's role in helping North Korea compete at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea last month.

"We had a very fruitful meeting where it became clear that the supreme leader has a clear vision of the role that sport can play in a society with regard to education, with regard to health," Bach said. He added that Kim told him the North's participation in the Pyeongchang games and marching together with South Korean athletes were an "important contribution to a peaceful dialogue."

Bach arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss development of sports in North Korea and the preparation of its athletes to qualify and participate in upcoming Olympics. He is the first foreign official to meet Kim since the North Korean leader returned earlier this week from a summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

That was Kim's first known trip abroad since he assumed power after the death of his father in late 2011. Kim is to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27.

Bach, who also met with North Korea's sports minister, said he received a commitment from the county's National Olympic Committee to participate in Tokyo in 2020 and Beijing in 2022, along with competing in the respective youth Olympic Games.

"This commitment has been fully supported by the supreme leader Kim Jong Un in a meeting we had this afternoon," he said. "He explained that sport is a pillar in his policy for the future development of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Both the North and South hailed the Pyeongchang games as a significant step toward easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula that reached dangerously high levels last year as the North stepped up its missile tests and detonated its largest nuclear device to date.

Since the Olympics, the North has pushed forward with a flurry of diplomatic moves. After his summit with Moon, Kim is to meet U.S. President Donald Trump by May, though the date and location of that summit have not been announced. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he is exploring the possibility of a meeting with Kim as well. </s> The historic meeting was confirmed by the secretive state's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Bach was "warmly welcomed" by Kim and they spoke in a "warm and friendly atmosphere", it was reported by KCNA.

The pair watched a football match together at May Day Stadium in capital city Pyongyang.

It comes after North Korea's participation at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea last month.

Discussions today included talks on North Korean participation at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Games.

"He [Kim] explained to the chairman of the International Olympic Committee about Korea's physical education policy and its prospects," KCNA said.

"He said that he expects a close cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and a good cooperation in the development and uplifting of athletic sports such as winter athletics and other sports in accordance with the global trend."

Bach was also invited to come to North Korea "often, as a friend", it was reported.

"I am very grateful to the International Olympic Committee for its unwavering commitment to us regardless of any political environment and conditions, and we will continue to have a positive and active partnership between our Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee," Kim reportedly said.

The German and an IOC delegation arrived in the country yesterday and are due to depart tomorrow.

He also met with North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk during his visit.

Twenty-two athletes from North Korea competed at Pyeongchang 2018 after an IOC-led four party meeting in Lausanne on January 20, which also involved South Korea and Games organisers.

Both Koreas, which are still technically at war, marched together at the Olympic Opening Ceremony and a joint ice hockey team played in the women's competition.

Further moves saw a squad of cheerleaders deployed and, arguably most significantly of all, a high-level North Korean delegation travelled which included Kim Yo-jong - the sister of the leader.

Bach was invited to North Korea at the January meeting with the IOC since claiming that the country's Winter Olympic appearance has sent a "message of peace" across the world.

According to Yonhap, he flew on Air Koryo from Chinese capital Beijing along with other members of the IOC delegation.

Pere Miro, the IOC's National Olympic Committees relations director, is among others to have made the trip.

The build-up to Pyeongchang 2018 featured strained rhetoric between Kim and United States President Donald Trump over North Korea's nuclear programme and missile launches.

However, Kim made a surprise New Year's Day announcement that his country would be prepared to compete at the Games.

The two leaders have since agreed to meet while senior South Korean officials in Washington D.C. have claimed Kim is open to halting nuclear and missile tests and is "committed to denuclearisation".

Many people are still unconvinced that the cooling of tensions will be anything more than a momentary thing, however. </s> Bach was given the Cheongryong Medal, South Korea’s highest sporting honour, by President Moon Jae-in in a ceremony at the Blue House in Seoul.

North and South Korea, still technically at war, marched together under the unification flag at the Opening Ceremony of Pyeongchang 2018 and, for the first time in Olympic history, competed together as part of a unified Korean women's ice hockey team.

Bach claimed during last month’s IOC Session that Pyeongchang 2018 has "brought real hope" to everybody in the Korean Peninsula by encouraging better relations between North and South.

Earlier this week, the Blue House said North Korea is willing to talk about getting rid of its nuclear weapons if its own safety can be guaranteed.

The subject was raised when South Korean officials met with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un during a rare visit to Pyongyang.

Kim also expressed his openness to talks with the United States, whose President Donald Trump today accepted to meet Kim by May.

The two Koreas later agreed for Kim and Moon to meet next month at a summit in the truce village of Panmunjom.

It will be the first meeting of its kind for more than a decade and the first since Kim took power in North Korea.

According to Blue House spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom, Moon told Bach at the ceremony: "North Korea came to take part in the Pyeongchang Olympics thanks to the IOC's active efforts and support.

"That allowed the South and the North to send special envoys to each other while enabling possible dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

Bach has also been awarded an honorary citizenship by Seoul City for his role in forming the unified Korean women's ice hockey team.

The honorary citizenship was awarded by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon at City Hall.

"I sincerely thank IOC President Thomas Bach for his deep interest in peace on the peninsula and for his devotion to make us feel that we were all united during the Pyeongchang Olympics," Park was reported as saying by The Korea Herald.

"The Olympics truly became the 'Peace Olympics'."

It was announced yesterday that the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) North and South Korea will march separately at today's Opening Ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games, where Bach will be among those in attendance.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had offered both countries the chance to march together under the same conditions as last month’s Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

But despite what the IPC describes as a "day of amicable and positive discussions between the two NPCs in the Paralympic Village", the two parties have decided against it. </s> LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Feb 15 (Reuters) - North Korea and South Korea are interested in a joint march at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics as well as fielding some unified teams in different sports, the president of the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.

South and North Korean officials met with the IOC in Lausanne, buoyed by the role the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics played in easing tensions between the two countries.

The two nations had marched together at the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang for the first time since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. They had also fielded a unified women's ice hockey team.

"Following the bilateral conversations we had yesterday, we are taking note that both are very much interested in having some joined actions in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with a joined march and some unified teams in different sports," IOC President Thomas Bach said at the start of the meeting.

Among the points of discussion at the Lausanne meeting was a potential 2032 Summer Olympics joint bid by North and South Korea, and Bach said both countries had expressed interest in proceeding.

"We think this is a great symbol of the Olympic spirit. It is a great symbol again of the unifying power of the Olympic Games," Bach said.

Relations between the nations greatly improved last year, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in meeting his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un at three different summits.

North Korea has for years pursued nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions but the neighbours moved to thaw relations in 2018. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann Editing by Mark Heinrich and Toby Davis) </s> North Korea and South Korea plan joint march, unified teams for Tokyo 2020

SALVATORE DI NOLFI/AFP/Getty Images IOC President Thomas Bach alongside the sports ministers of the North and South Korea at a meeting to discuss a bid to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics in Lausanne, Switzerland -- Feb. 15 2019.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- North Korea and South Korea are interested in a joint march at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics as well as fielding some unified teams in different sports, the president of the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.

South and North Korean officials met with the IOC in Lausanne, buoyed by the role the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics played in easing tensions between the two countries.

The two nations had marched together at the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang for the first time since the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. They had also fielded a unified women's ice hockey team.

"Following the bilateral conversations we had yesterday, we are taking note that both are very much interested in having some joined actions in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with a joined march and some unified teams in different sports," IOC President Thomas Bach said at the start of the meeting.

Among the points of discussion at the Lausanne meeting was a potential 2032 Summer Olympics joint bid by North and South Korea, and Bach said both countries had expressed interest in proceeding.

"We think this is a great symbol of the Olympic spirit. It is a great symbol again of the unifying power of the Olympic Games," Bach said.

Relations between the nations greatly improved last year, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in meeting his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un at three different summits.

North Korea has for years pursued nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions but the neighbours moved to thaw relations in 2018.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.