Kim Jong Un has told International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach that North Korea is committed to competing in the Tokyo and Beijing Games.

North Korean leader Kim thanked Bach and the IOC for the role the organisation played in his country's participation in the recent Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The South Korean and North Korean athletes walked as a joint team under one flag during the opening ceremony and the Games were seen to have eased tensions between the two nations.

Kim assured Bach that his country will be represented at the Tokyo Games in 2020 and the Winter Olympics in Beijing two years later during an "extensive" meeting in Pyongyang on Friday, 

"In particular, the joint march sent a strong message of peace," said Bach. "Now, on the political level, the discussions can continue in the Olympic spirit of understanding and peace. 

"We will continue to accompany this political dialogue through sport, by helping athletes to prepare for and compete in future editions of the Olympic Games,

"This support has already begun, with immediate assistance to athletes from the DPRK NOC to compete in the table tennis World Championships, which are taking place in Sweden this April."