Speaking there, he said that it is the policy of the DPRK government and desire of its people to promote physical culture of people, develop the country's sports and build sports powerhouse and a highly civilized power.

The sports activities in the DPRK have faced difficulties due to the UN unwarranted sanctions measures at the manipulation of the U.S., he said, and went on:

The hostile forces including the U.S. enforced illegal "sanctions resolutions" against the DPRK at the UN Security Council since 2006. They coercively adopted "resolution" 2270 in March 2016 and added luxury items to sanctions item list, even popular sports apparatuses.

Some countries are disallowing the sale of such sports apparatuses as ski, ice hockey clubs, mountaineering boots, game guns and bullets, and game bows and arrows and are preventing the delivery of sports apparatuses offered free by the international sports associations, under the pretexts of implementing the UN Security Council's "sanctions resolutions" against the DPRK.

They are creating deliberate obstacles in the DPRK's participation in international games and sports events as evidenced by non-approval of visas for DPRK sports teams and members of the DPRK delegations.

Such abnormal situation helps the world clearly understand that sanctions are savage acts against humanity and civilization as they would not only destroy modern civilization but aim to revert the world to the medieval dark era.

He stressed that the DPRK government would as ever closely cooperate with international organizations and many countries of the world to abide by the Olympic Charter and to make sure that sports activities in the DPRK contribute to the sustainable development and peace of the world in compliance with the declarations and resolutions adopted at meetings of the sports ministers.