The head of the international governing body for baseball is making his first visit to North Korea, hinting at renewed efforts to popularize the quintessentially American sport in a country that lacks even a single known baseball diamond.

A World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) delegation led by its President Riccardo Fraccari arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday, the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the following day.