North Korea sent a group of athletes to China to compete in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, state media reported Saturday, as the DPRK continues to normalize international travel after nearly four years of isolation.

The athletes left Pyongyang via train to compete in the multi-sport tournament from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8, with sports minister Kim Il Guk seeing them off at the capital train station on Sept. 14, the Rodong Sinmun reported. 

North Korea did not announce how many athletes will participate in the games or in which sports they will compete. Their intended participation in this