North Korea joined the East Asian karate championship that opened Friday in Taizhou, eastern China, making a comeback to the international sports scene after three years of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two Japan-based male ethnic Korean karate athletes will take part in kumite matches as North Korean representatives on Saturday. Pyongyang last dispatched its athletes to an international sports event in January 2020, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The three-day karate event is joined by six teams, including Japan and China.
Song Yun Hak, 27, who will be competing in the men's 67-kilogram division, said he had been awaiting North Korea's return to international sports events and felt motivated upon learning that he will be able to join the karate matches.
"I will do my best as an athlete representing the (North) Korean flag," he said.
Citing coronavirus infection risks, North Korea did not send a team to the Tokyo Olympics, which was held in the summer of 2021 following a one-year postponement due to the pandemic.
In September 2021, the International Olympic Committee banned North Korea from competing at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, saying the country failed to fulfill its obligation to send athletes to the Tokyo Games.
Since 2020, Pyongyang has maintained almost entirely closed borders to stem the spread of the coronavirus, although it has resumed freight train and vehicle transportation services between North Korean and Chinese border cities.
