North Korean taekwondo athletes headlined the opening ceremony of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) World Championships in Kazakhstan over the weekend, in the first appearance by DPRK athletes at an overseas event since the start of the pandemic.

Eleven North Korean athletes gave a 50-minute live demonstration as the main opening act at the event in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on Saturday.

Rowan Beard, a tour manager at Young Pioneer Tours, said it makes sense that the members of the taekwondo delegation were the first-known athletes that the DPRK allowed to leave the country since closing its borders to keep out