North Korea's No. 2 man has left Rio de Janeiro, the host city of the 31st Summer Olympic Games, after meeting with officials and cheering on North Korean athletes.
Choe Ryong-hae, the vice chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, took a departing flight at Galeao International Airport on Wednesday night. He arrived in Rio last Thursday after leaving Pyongyang on July 30. He flew through China and Cuba, and arrived in Sao Paulo before landing in Rio.
Sources following Choe in Rio previously said the high-ranking North Korean official is scheduled to check out of a Rio hotel Thursday, but apparently he decided to return to his country earlier.
During his one-week stay in Brazil, Choe attended the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gala dinner and the opening ceremony of the Rio Games. He also toured the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain, and visited the weightlifting, archery, table tennis and diving venues to cheer on North Korean athletes.
North Korea has won two silver and two bronze medals so far at the Rio Games.
Choe's visit to Rio has been seen as a move to take full advantage of the Olympics to carry out sports diplomacy in a bid to break away from international isolation following Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missile development. He was widely expected to meet with global leaders in Rio and explain the overall situation facing the country and defend its actions.
However, sources said Choe seems to have had little activity in meeting with influential political figures during his stay in Brazil. Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday reported Choe met with Interim Brazilian President Michel Temer last Friday, but an official from Brazil's foreign affairs ministry told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday that the meeting with Choe and Temer never took place. (Yonhap)