Information on Purchasing Steroids and Other Banned Substances Will Be Reported to KADA

MFDS to Provide List of Athletes and Coaches Purchased for Disciplinary Purposes

Steroid finished products
Photo by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 5th that it will provide information on athletes who have purchased illegal drugs such as anabolic steroids and growth hormones to the Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to block the distribution and sale of illegal drugs.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explained, "We have moved beyond focusing on distributors and sellers to raise awareness among purchasers and promote fair competition among athletes by providing the list of athletes who purchased banned substances for disciplinary purposes such as suspension of athlete and coach qualifications, after final review and resolution by the Personal Information Protection Commission."

The Ministry added that starting with 15 athletes found to have purchased drugs during investigations, it plans to continuously provide athlete lists to KADA in the future.

Earlier, the Ministry had confirmed the illegal drug use by bodybuilders who caused social controversy last year, known as 'Yaktu,' and the indiscriminate distribution and sale of illegal drugs through the internet, and conducted large-scale crackdowns.

As a result, 16 individuals, including those who illegally manufactured and sold steroid injections, so-called 'steroid designers' who guided and sold personalized drug use methods to athletes, and organizers who professionally smuggled and sold pharmaceuticals, were caught and sent to the prosecution on charges of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

Anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids) are a form of male steroid (testosterone) extracted and synthesized from bull testes. They promote protein synthesis within cells, leading to growth and development of tissues, especially muscles, but can cause side effects such as hypothyroidism, abdominal pain, elevated liver enzymes, proteinuria, joint pain, femoral head necrosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, infertility, and sexual dysfunction.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "We plan to strengthen education and publicity to prevent athletes and the general public from purchasing and using illegal drugs by closely cooperating with related organizations such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Anti-Doping Agency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.