Seoul: South Korea's sports minister has sent a message of condolence over the death of Chang Ung, North Korea's long-serving former member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the ministry said Wednesday. The message will be delivered to the North's Olympic Committee through the IOC, according to the ministry.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young expressed "deep condolences" on the death of the honorary IOC member, who "dedicated his life to advancing the Olympic Movement and promoting the development of sports." Chae acknowledged Chang's efforts to foster friendship and mutual understanding through sports, highlighting his work to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Chang, who served as an IOC member from 1996 to 2018 and later as an honorary member, died at age 87, the IOC said earlier in the day. He was influential in forming a unified Korean team at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan, and played a significant role in the joint marches of South and North Korean athletes at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.