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| This file photo shows North Korean athletes taking part in the Indonesia-Asian Para Games held in 2018. Yonhap |
South Korea's unification ministry said Wednesday it is closely monitoring the possibility of North Korea taking part in the Hangzhou Asian Games and other sports events in the second half amid abating concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report to the National Assembly, the ministry said the North's trade with China has recovered to 91 percent of the 2019 level this year amid growing speculation over the North's border reopening with China following years of COVID-19 restrictions.
The government said it is keeping close tabs on the North's potential participation in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix I to be held in Cuba next month and the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China, in September.
Japan's Kyodo News recently reported the North has registered a delegation of some 200 athletes and officials with the Hangzhou Asian Games organizing committee.
The ministry also called on North Korea to "immediately" revoke a plan to launch its first military spy satellite, as the move violates related United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
"If the North launches a military reconnaissance satellite, the government will push for corresponding measures through cooperation with related agencies," it said.
North Korea announced the completion of preparations last week to mount its first military spy satellite on a rocket, with the country's leader Kim Jong-un approving of its "future action plan."
The North's proposed satellite launch is viewed as violating a series of UNSC resolutions banning its nuclear and missile programs, as it uses the same technology used in ballistic missiles.
Meanwhile, the ministry said it is considering taking legal actions and other measures in a "multifaceted manner" against North Korea's infringement on the property rights of South Koreans.
The government is mulling measures against the North's 2020 demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in its border city of Kaesong.
Other cases include Pyongyang's unauthorized use of South Korean-owned assets at a now-shuttered joint industrial complex in Kaesong and its demolition of South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort. (Yonhap)
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