RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he hasn't set any plan to meet with North Korean officials during the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.
Ban arrived in the Brazilian Olympic host city earlier Thursday to visit the athletes' village and take part in the torch relay. Also on the same day, Choe Ryong-hae, North Korea's No. 2 man, landed in Rio to attend the opening ceremony.
Choe's arrival fueled speculation about a possible meeting with South Korean-born Ban. Their trip to Rio comes on the heels of an emergency meeting by the U.N. Security Council to condemn Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launches.
"I may run into North Korean officials during dinner (hosted by the International Olympic Committee Thursday)," Ban told Yonhap News Agency. "But I don't have a separate plan to meet with them."
Ban met with athletes from South Korea and from the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team inside the village, saying he couldn't possibly visit all 207 nations in the Olympics.
Ban and former IOC President Jacques Rogge took a tour of the athletes' village, and Ban's first stop was the South Korean building.
He shook hands with fencers, swimmers and volleyball players, and even posed for "selfies" with some of them.
"I am extremely pleased to meet these proud Olympic athletes," Ban told them. "It'll be difficult to compete in Rio de Janeiro because food and customs are different than Korea, but I hope you will all see the fruits of your labor."
Ban added beyond the personal glory for the athletes, doing well at the Olympics will also help promote the excellence of South Korea around the world.
He also touched upon the significance of having the team of refugees.
"The Olympic Games aren't simply about sports," he said. "It is also about love for humanity, world peace, safety and development, among other noble values. I hope these values, which are pursued by both the U.N. and the IOC, will be promoted through sportsmanship."
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