North Korea, led by dictator Kim Jong Un, has been absent from the global sporting arena since January 2020 when it became the first country in the world to close its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Athletes from North Korea - a country that has close political ties with China - now looks set to be represented at Hangzhou 2022.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, North Korea is set to feature in judo with three male and four female athletes due to be registered.

Kim Chol-gwang, a mixed team bronze medallist at the 2018 World Championships, is reportedly among those that are expected to participate.

The 27-year-old has claimed bronze and silver medals at the International Judo Federation Grand Prix in 2015 and 2016 respectively and picked up bronze at the Naples 2019 International University Sports Federation Summer World University Games.

It has also been reported by Yonhap that football, women’s volleyball and wrestling are other sports that North Korean athletes are expected to complete in during the Asian Games.

In April, two representatives from North Korea attended a preparatory meeting on the Asian Games with a view to competing at the continental multi-sport event, due to be held from September 23 to October 8.

North Korea was alone in withdrawing from the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics because of COVID-19 concerns, resulting in its National Olympic Committee being banned by the International Olympic Committee.

After the ban was lifted at the end of last year, North Korea returned to the international sporting arena in late April when two Japan-based athletes took part in the East Asian Karate Championship in the eastern Chinese city of Taizhou.

A total of 14 North Korean athletes were due to compete at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix in Cuban capital Havana but their no-show means they will be unable to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Paris.

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that North Korea has entered a team for the IWF World Championships, scheduled to be staged from September 4 to 17 in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

North Korea has competed in the past six editions of the Asian Games, securing 12 golds, 12 silvers and 13 bronzes at Jakarta Palembang 2018.

Eight of those golds came in weightlifting with the others coming in wrestling, shooting and gymnastics.