North Korean wrestling star Ro Yu-cheol tests positive for banned substances... Temporary suspension

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Gyeong-yoon = North Korean national wrestling representative Ro Yu-cheol (26) was provisionally suspended as a player after testing positive for a banned substance.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) announced on the 4th (local time) that furosemide, a banned substance, was detected in Yoo-cheol Ro's doping test urine sample.

Furosemide, a diuretic, can be used to temporarily reduce weight by promoting urine output.

It is also classified as a masking agent that dilutes urine, making it difficult to detect other banned substances.

The sample of raw oil in which furosemide was detected was collected on March 13, 2025.

It is known that Ro Yu-cheol requested additional analysis through other samples collected around the same time.

If the same results are confirmed in other samples, the process to determine whether anti-doping regulations have been violated continues.

The ITA has temporarily suspended Yoo-cheol Yoo as a player until the case is finally resolved, and Yoo-cheol Yoo can raise objections and request cancellation in accordance with relevant regulations.

Ro Yu-cheol is a North Korean male Greco-Roman lightweight champion.

He won a gold medal in the 55kg class at the 2024 Asian Championships, and a bronze medal in the 55kg class at the same event in 2025.

At the Ulaanbaatar Open Tournament in June of this year, he raised his weight to the 60kg class and won a silver medal.

He was also named to the North Korean national team for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, but did not participate in the game.