Both Koreas will play in the FIFA World Cup for
the first time as North Korea's scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia early Thursday morning (KST) secured the
North's first World Cup appearance since 1966.
North Korean national team manager Kim Jong-hun was in tears after
the match as he hugged his fellow coaches, as the players embraced
each other and celebrated the historic moment on the pitch. Forward
Jung Dae-se took off his shirt and cried.
Some from below the 38th parallel offered their congratulations to
the North.
``I am glad that the North could advance to the World Cup with us.
I hope both of us will get good results in South Africa,'' Lim
Soo-hyang, a football fan who lives in Seoul, told The Korea Times,
Thursday.
Others, however, said they could not be happy for the North, given
the political hostility between the two nations.
``I cannot understand why some Koreans are happy for the North's
success. I despise the North Korean leadership as they make nuclear
weapons,'' a fan posted on a Web site.
North Korea last appeared in the World Cup in 1966 in England,
where it advanced to the quarterfinals after a 1-0 upset of Italy
in the second round.
It will be the second time that both halves of a divided nation
will play in the same World Cup. West and East Germany both played
at the 1974 tournament in West Germany.
North Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk made several quality saves to
maintain the scoreless draw, including a huge save on Yasser Al
Qhatani in the first half.
The North Koreans also survived the sending off of Kim Yong Jun
late in the match.
North Korea finishes the qualifying round with a record of three
wins, three draws and two defeats. They did it with defense,
allowing just five goals overall, and just one in its last five
matches.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2009/06/136_47074.html
