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A new North Korea World Cup Blog is now published, and occasionally it’ll overlap with South Korea since the two teams are closely linked. Thanks for reading!
While South Korea’s World Cup record isn’t spattered with championships or even many second-round appearances, it’s still miles ahead of its neighbor to the north in terms of time played in the World Cup.
North Korea will play in its first World Cup since 1966. It’s also only the second time it will compete in the World Cup (most of the years, the team didn’t even enter). However, the North’s 1966 appearance surprising accomplishment remains prominent in World Cup history.
Let’s put it in perspective.
The last time North Korea qualified for the World Cup, the big media news was that the games would actually be televised in color for the first time. It was just 13 years after the end of the Korean War, and North Korea were the underdog darlings in 1966. The team qualified after beating Australia in a playoff.
This time around, the North’s unexpected qualification last month after it played a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia in Ridyah, hit the Internet within seconds, with its World Cup spot surprising much of the soccer world. Still, “North Korea in the News” rightly focuses on the short-range missiles the North recently fired.
It’s easy to forget how, nearly 44 years ago, North Korea shocked powerhouse Italy 1-0 on July 19,
1966, at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough in England, ending the Azzurri chances of making the quarterfinals. North Korea made it to the quarterfinals, the furthest they’ve ever gotten in the tourney.
Pak Doo Ik made a name for himself by scoring the lone goal. According to FIFA.com, “It was no doubt the most famous goal ever scored in the history of Asian football: the goal by which North Korea dumped Italy out of the 1966 World Cup.”
The team then lost to Portugal 5-3, despite being up 3-0 at one point in the game. Despite the loss, it’s hard to not recognize its accomplishment: Being the first Asian team in the World Cup to make it to the quarterfinals.
It was Asia’s only team in the World Cup that year after several Asian and African countries — including South Korea — withdrew, angry because it was decided only one team from those two continents would be given a spot in the final.
With the Republic of Korea qualifying for its seventh-straight World Cup and ready to head to South Africa in less than a year, it’s time to review the past six World Cups.
How’d the team do??
Besides Korea’s unexpected fantastic fourth-place finish in front of the home-country crowd in 2002, it’s had a string of first-round exits, starting in 1986 in Mexico.
Year Round Host country Games played
1986 Round 1 Mexico 2
1990 Round 1 Italy 3
1994 Round 1 United States 3
1998 Round 1 France 3
2002 4th place South Korea/Japan 7
2006 Round 1 Germany 3
Korea first played in the World Cup in the 1954 competition held in Switzerland just one year after the completion of the Korean War. Like the majority of Korea’s appearances, they were knocked out in the first round (including playing in a game where they were decimated 9-0 by Hungary).
It was a 32-year drought until the team qualified again, including its non-qualification in the 1966 World Cup in England (South Korea withdrew because the qualifying tournament was moved to Cambodia from Japan). That was the last time North Korea qualified for the World Cup.
A quick history of North Korea’s World Cup appearances coming soon…
South Korea ended its World Cup Qualifying matches all even, drawing 1-1 with Iran on June 17 in Seoul.
South Korea already qualified for the 2010 World Cup on June 6, but the draw dashed Iran’s hopes of making it to the tournament.
South Korea’s Ji-Sung Park, a rising star for Manchester United in the English Premier League, scored a late goal, evening the game with just nine minutes left to play in regulation.
The more interesting news this week, following the World Cup Qualifying finale, was the emergence of North Korea as the second and final team in Asia’s Group B standings to make it to next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
The team now joins South Korea, Japan and Australia as Asia’s four automatic qualifiers for 2010, which starts June 11 next year. South Africa and the Netherlands have also qualified for next year’s 32-team tournament.
The North, which played to a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, qualified for the first time since its 1966 England World Cup appearance. The team upset Italy that year.
It was just 13 years following the end of the Korean War when both the North and the South played in the World Cup. This time around, tensions are also bound to be high.
South Korea beat North Korea in Seoul 1-0 on April 1, and Kim Jong-hun, North Korea’s head coach, then accused South Korea of poisoning his team’s food after some players got sick before the match.
The Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia fought to a scoreless draw Wednesday night at World Cup Stadium in Seoul, despite Korea’s several close-call goals in the second half.
Both at 54 minutes in and just minutes before the end of the second half, Korea nearly scored, missing the goal just inches both times. The closest chance came from Park Chu Young, whose shot grazed the cross bar.
The game lost some of its luster as Korea qualified for the World Cup June 6, beating the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in Dubai.
For Saudi Arabia, however, a win would’ve aided them significantly as the team currently stands in third place in the Asian Group B cup standings. Now, they’ll battle second-ranked North Korea June 17 in Riyadh, with the winner automatically qualifying for the World Cup finals, set to kickoff one year from today.
Nearly 33,000 crazed Korean fans showed up, wearing their bright Red Devil horns, Korean team scarves and numerous Ji Sung Park jerseys.
The final World Cup Qualifying match for the Red Devils is Wednesday, when Korea hosts Iran in Seoul.
With two heavily anticipated World Cup Qualifying matches within the next week, you’d think the Korean Republic soccer team would be full of nerves.
That’s not the case, however, for the Red Devils as the team qualified for its seventh-straight World Cup on June 6, beating the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in Dubai.
Now, the upcoming games can help build Korea prepare for 2010 and build its reputation as a team to beat in Asia, with Japan also qualifying for the World Cup last week.
“I’m really happy that we made it to the World Cup finals. We played well and we are all satisfied with a performance that saw us win and ensure a place in South Africa in 2010,” said Korea Coach Huh Jung-moo, according to a story on the Home of Asian Football Web site.
The June 10 match with Saudi Arabia comes nearly a year to the day when the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa.
The Koreans can already look ahead, with stars like Ji Sung Park and Park Chu Young, who scored the 
first goal in Saturday’s win versus the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has 10 points in the Asian Group B standings, still needs to qualify, despite two qualification wins over both the United Arab Emirates and Iran earlier this year.
A win for Saudi Arabia, despite being third in the group standings, isn’t a far-off goal. Besides a 2-0 loss to Korea in November, Saudi Arabia’s prevailed victorious over Korea in past matches.
Standing in front of a stadium where World Cup games were once played for the first time makes it difficult for one not to smile.
On April 18, as FC Seoul fans decked in black and red prepared for their team’s afternoon match with Daegu, it was impossible to ignore the majestic stadium where their team played.
World Cup Stadium in western Seoul, just north of the Han River, is the primary stadium in South Korea. The South Korean team made the semi-finals during its 2002 World Cup host year.
The stadium even stands out in Seoul, one of the largest metropolises in the world where high-rises pierce the sky, seemingly the main type of building in the city, and where 10 to 15 million of people live their lives each day.
With a Korean League game about to be played, fans munched on fried meat and perused the outdoor clothing markets before stepping into the stadium.
The crowds were undoubtedly smaller than the World Cup craziness seven years ago (the stadium holds more than 68,000 people, but average FC Seoul attendance is currently less than that). But the love of the game for FC Seoul, which started playing its matches at World Cup Stadium in 2004, was obvious.
These people love their soccer, and FC Seoul fans have reason to celebrate. Sure, their team ended the game in a 0-0 draw with Daegu.
But hey, for every home game they get to enter the country’s greatest stadium.
Cho Won-hee, a South Korean midfielder, is sidelined for six to eight weeks after enduring a calf injury, it was announced this past weekend.
Cho’s absence from the rest of the three crucial World Cup Qualifying matches in June deals a round of back luck for the South Korean team, which currently stands atop the leader board in Group B, just one point ahead of North Korea.
Cho, who turns 26 this Friday, played for the Suwon Bluewings up until last month before leaving for Wigan Athletic of the English Premier League.
How much of an impact will his absence make?
Cho’s loss will certainly be noticeable as he’s played more of a role within the South Korean squad in the past couple of years, but on the other hand, he’s not a key player. He was with the team during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but didn’t play a game.
In 2008 and 2009, Cho’s started in three World Cup qualifying matches and was used as a substitute in two other games.
In the five games Cho played in 2008 and 2009, South Korea went undefeated.
It’s been a busy week for the soccer clubs in South Korea versus Chinese teams, as the two home teams won their games while the two playing away came out with losses.
The Pohang Steelers snatched their only win thus far in the AFC Champions League, beating Tianjin Teda 1-0 in Group H on their home turf.
Ulsan, competing in their home stadium, beat Beijing Guoan 1-0 as substitute Oh Jang-eun scored in the second half. Even with its victory, Ulsan remains at the bottom of Group E.
Both FC Seoul and the Suwon Samsung Bluewings traveling to China for matches earlier this week.
Both lost.
FC Seoul, in third place in Group F, fell 2-0 to Shandong Luneng.
Suwon, meanwhile, fell 2-1 to Shanghai Shenhua in Shanghai. Shenhua scored in the 17th minute, and the early goal proved to be doom for Suwon, who are now tied with Shenhua and the Kashima Antlers with six points each in Group G of the AFC Champions League.
According to Asian Football’s Official Web site, Shenhua captain Cheng Liang said his team’s win helped instill confidence and a mentality that Korean soccer teams aren’t superior to the Chinese.”
“We proved that Chinese teams are not afraid of Koreans,” he said on www.the-afc.com. “We are proud of the win today.”
Just a quick note, as there will be more from the Seoul area in the upcoming days.
For now, though, looks like the football tension between the North and South hasn’t eased since last week’s game, in which the Red Devils from the South beat their rivals 1-0 in the match’s final minutes.
North Korea’s head football coach, Kim Jong Hun, made the claim that South Korea poisoned his players’ food before the match.
North Korea’s football association issued the following statement about the game, according to bbcnews.com.
“It was beyond all doubt that the incident was a product of a deliberate act perpetrated by adulterated foodstuff as [the players] could not get up all of a sudden just before the match.”
FIFA rejected Kim’s plea to delay the game and move it to a neutral location after three of his athletes acquired food poisoning, according to the BBC.
The game took place in Seoul, just about 35 miles from the border with North Korea. The teams’ previous matchup in September 2008 occurred in Shanghai after FIFA suggested it be moved from Pyongyang, North Korea to China after the North refused to allow South Korea to sing its national anthem and wave its flag.
South Korea, meanwhile, has rejected the claim.
For those football fans who were tired of watching North Korea and South Korea play to a draw, last night’s game brought back some excitement.
The Red Devils of the South beat their arch-rivals 1-0 at Seoul World Cup Stadium. With the victory, South Korea pulls ahead of the North in Asia’s Group B in World Cup qualifying.
The winning goal came with just three minutes left in the match, made by an athlete building his way up: substitute player Kim Chi-woo who was put in the game just minutes before his score. Kim, a 25-year old who plays for FC Seoul, played for South Korea in the 2004 Summer Olympics and scored a goal in last week’s friendly match versus Iraq.
South Korea’s head coach, Huh Jung-moo, said though the win was a great step, there’s still much more work to be done, according to a story on the Official Home of Asian Football Web site.
“I introduced Kim because I wanted a technically gifted player for when we broke through the DPR Korea defense,” Huh said in the the-afc.com story. “This was a big barrier for us to overcome in our campaign. … We are improving gradually but there is still a long way to go and many points to play for.”
The “long way” Huh refers to is the remaining schedule for the team. June proves to be a huge month, as they travel to Abu Dhabi to play the United Arab Emirates, a team which last week lost 2-0 to North Korea. Later, South Korea plays both Saudi Arabia and Iran at home in Seoul.
As for North Korea, the team is still in position to make it to South Africa next year, as the top two teams in Group B qualify for the World Cup.
World Cup qualifying started up again March 26. However, one of the biggest matches won’t be played until Wednesday, April 1, when the Red Devils of South Korea play host to North Korea in Seoul.
The first game between these two teams was supposed to be played in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital. However, the host country wasn’t feeling so generous and refused South Korea’s request to sing their national anthem and show their flag. FIFA then said, “Hey, let’s move to a neutral location.”
Shanghai, China was suggested, and the two teams drew 1-1 in September 2008.
No flag waving for South Korea? No national anthem?
Hellloooooo relocation.
Why the hostility?
Relations are a little better this time, with the game being held in Seoul and no restrictions being placed on national anthems or flags. But it’s still a massive game.
Sure, the South and the North are the top two team in Asia’s Group B for World Cup qualifying, and it’s not just pride that’s at stake.
With the World Cup less than 15 months away, emotions are running high, particularly after North Korea snuck back into the lead of the group Saturday, beating the United Arab Emirates 2-0 in Pyongyang. The Red Devils played a friendly match versus Iraq at Suwon World Cup Stadium Saturday as well, winning 2-1.
South Korea can climb back to No. 1, should the team win on April 1 and rack up three points.
It’s not just a recent rivalry, either. South Korea climbed to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002, eclipsing the feat of the 1966 North Korean squad, which ran to the quarterfinals that year. North Korea hasn’t reached the tournament since.
It’s obvious the refusal to play the national anthem and displaying the flag aren’t necessarily about football, however, as the two countries haven’t signed a peace treaty following the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
Last week, South Korea suffered a devastating loss.
In front of more than 54,000 fans, the team lost 5-3 to bitter rival Japan in Los Angeles, more than 5,400 miles from the comforts of home, according to the New York Times.
But, just one month before, South Korea’s Suwon City Bluewings team beat the Los Angeles Galaxy, also in the City of Angels, winning the Pan-Pacific Championship.
Now the country’s football team has a chance to redeem the loss of its treasured baseball team when it takes on North Korea in a World Cup qualifying match on April 1 at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China.
The game not only represents the resumption of 2010 World Cup qualifying, but also signifies a chance for South Korea to add to its record against its neighbors to the north. Last September, the two team drew 1-1.
After South Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with Japan, the sport boomed when it became the first Asian national team to reach the World Cup semi-final, defeating Spain on penalties.
Despite South Korea’s football team’s first international competition dates all the way back to the 1948 Summer Olympics, it held second to baseball, which won recent Olympic gold in Beijing in August 2008.
Now, with players such as 28-year-old Park Ji-sung, a Suwon City native who plays midfield for historic Manchester United in the English Premier League and has captained the South Korean football team, the sport continues its popularity.
And, don’t forgot, there’s a friendly match tomorrow between South Korea and Iraq, and be sure to check out some footage from a June 2008 match between South and North Korea.
Pim proud of Korea players
Outgoing South Korea coach Pim Verbeek declared himself ‘proud’ of his players after they secured a third-placed finish in the AFC Asian Cup.
Nickname(s) Taeguk Warriors, Tigers, Red Devils
Association Korea Football Association
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Head coach Vacant
Asst coach Afshin Ghotbi
Hong Myung-Bo
Captain Lee Woon-Jae
Most caps Hong Myung-Bo (135)
Top scorer Cha Bum-Kun (55)
FIFA code KOR
FIFA ranking 58
Highest FIFA ranking 17 (December 1998)
Lowest FIFA ranking 62 (February 1996)
Elo ranking 48
Highest Elo ranking 15 (Sep 1980, Jun 2002)
Lowest Elo ranking 80 (August 1967)
First kit
Second kit
First international
South Korea 5 - 3 Mexico
(London, England; August 2, 1948)
Biggest win
South Korea 16 - 0 Nepal
(Incheon, South Korea; September 29, 2003)
Biggest defeat
Sweden 12 - 0 South Korea
(London, England; August 5, 1948)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (First in 1954)
Best result Fourth place, 2002
AFC Asian Cup
Appearances 11 (First in 1956)
Best result Winners, 1956 and 1960
Confederations Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 2001)
Best result 1st round, 2001
Korea is knocked out …
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The death toll from two car bombs in Baghdad that targeted Iraqis celebrating the national team’s win in the Asian Cup semifinal on Wednesday has reached 50, police said.
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They said 135 people had been wounded in the two blasts.
A very harsh backlash. So much is going on in the midle east even Korea is in the limelight.
I didn’t see the game myself since I’m visiting my parents in Canada and am so out of the loop. I did see some cool key blanks that were covered in a soccer ball theme. I might pick some up.
I heard about the game over at Dave’s esl. i can’t remember my login and ID for his forum but I might be able to find it.
I won’t be able to watch the U-20 games today live. My buddy from university is down looking for houses so i made plans to visit him. With my sister coming down tomorrow I can only see him today since he is leaving for B.C.soon.
Anyway Mom thinks she has figured out the VCR so she’ll tape it while I’m gone.
If you have no idea about Halifax check these pics out:
anyway I had better get on the road.
–
some blogs I subscribe to:
Neil Gaiman and Andrew Dabb.
Neil is promoting Stardust and Andrew is pitching an adaption of a French Comic. Me? I’m thinking about joining the Mounties. Well at least for their “Codiac Regional RCMP Soccer Challange this Friday.
Violence on Christian missionaries makes me wonder. Should the Korean missionaries travelling in the muslem country be there? When in Rome do as the Romans do. Spreading the gospel in a foreign country when it is illegal is not a bright idea. Our prayers go out to the families of the kidnapped travellers.
Good thing the Chilean u-20 weren’t in a match over there.
After booting up my dad’s notebook computer I saw on Yahoo again that the Chile U-20 team is in the news still. It is interesting how the story is being transmitted.
Toronto police to blame
Myself, I watched the match on TV and thought the Argentinians fell down an awful lot. I guess though the ref was consistent in calling a foul for almost every physical challenge and Chile were unlucky they weren’t more given to Argentina. reading the ref must be part of the game.
With that aside what is going on now is insane. quotes like
Chilean officials pointed the finger squarely at Toronto police Friday after a bloody post-match brawl
First of all I am Canadian and the behavior of the police is almost always what I expect. In Canada if you break a law it is enforced. Like if you are drinking in Public the police will arrest you. If you don’t listen to the police they will arrest you. Laws are very strict and enforcement is to protect the citizens of Canada. I can’t see how the Toronto police would start a fight with the Chilean team.
the police of Toronto did not act as our police is used to acting with people that are just playing a football game,” said Harold Mayne-Nicholls.
Again the Police were not breaking up a football game. The team was walking to their bus after the game and started to head towards a group of angry fans. hundreds of angry fans. the team should have done what the police requested and just got on their bus and left. they are all foreigners in Canada and have to obey peace officers or be arrested or deported. Having the Chilean squad fight hundreds of “angry fans” would have been a much worse black spot.
Chile’s president denounced police reaction during the melee as “unjustified use of force”
I disagree 100% with the president. Perhaps he would have been talking out of the other side of his face if his country’s team were allowed to confront the “hundreds” or fans and a riot ensued.
If you haven’t heard of the story this seems to be the major complaint.
The melee, prompted officers to use a Taser and pepper spray, as players on the bus began throwing things at police through the windows and tried to grab officers from inside the damaged bus,
I really felt the 2 red cards and all the free kicks made the match a joke but once off the pitch players have to follow the rules set by the society they are in. The police don’t give yellow cards.
Anyway I’m going to forget about the incident for a while and go browse the discussions at active.com
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K.L. LANDRY
Professor, Dankook University
Human Resources Development Institute
SUFC Wailers Manager
www.leaguelineup.com/whailers
SSFL Webmaster
http://ssflkorea.com/
