(LEAD) (Olympics) N. Korean IOC member leaves PyeongChang for health reasons

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PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympics Committee (IOC), returned home Sunday a week before the closing of the ongoing Winter Olympics due to health reasons.

He left the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics in the morning and headed for Incheon International Airport, the South's main gateway. He will likely fly to Pyongyang via Beijing.

The Winter Games will come to an end on Feb. 25 after a 17-day run.

The 79-year-old caught a cold during a two-week stay in PyeongChang, which has been notorious for its bitterly cold weather with storm winds.

Chang arrived in the South on Feb. 4 to attend the 132nd IOC session in the host city. He also participated in a number of Olympic events and festivals, including the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 9.

"I'm leaving early in order to get treatment. There are many other IOC members here who have caught a cold," he said. "But the PyeongChang Olympics is the best Olympics ever as the two Koreas joined hands."

The two Koreas and the IOC last month reached an agreement on the North's participation in the Winter Games. North Korean athletes have been participating in the Olympics here.

The North Korean IOC member noted that the unified women's hockey team has made the Olympics historic and memorable.

"The Korean team in women's hockey will be remembered by history for a long time," Chang said. "There have been several joint marches between the two Koreas in previous opening ceremonies, but the unified team is the first-ever try. It was impressive and touching."

For Chang, the PyeongChang Games will be the last Olympics before he retires as an IOC member because of his age at the upcoming IOC session slated for October in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chang was elected to the IOC in 1996.

brk@yna.co.kr
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