N. Korea regains status as country implementing global anti

The North Korean team enters with the national flag at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in China's Hangzhou in this Sept. 23, 2023 file photo. Yonhap

North Korea has been removed from a list of countries that are non-compliant with global anti-doping rules after a period of more than two years, the global anti-doping body has said.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped the National Anti-Doping Organization of North Korea from the list of signatories that have failed to implement an effective testing program, the agency said in a statement posted on its website Friday.

In October 2021, North Korea was put on the World Anti-Doping Code non-compliant list after the country did not follow global anti-doping rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WADA has regularly sent its officials to countries for doping tests on athletes. But North Korea did not allow their visits while closing its border amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

As part of punitive measures, the global anti-doping body banned North Korea from flying its national flag at international sports events, except the Olympics and Paralympic Games.

The WADA fined the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) $500,000 for permitting North Korea to hoist its national flag at the Asian Games in China's Hangzhou last year. (Yonhap)