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North Korea, who is officially recognized by FIFA as Korea DPR, has made only 1 appearance in the FIFA World Cup so far in their history. In that appearance, in the 1966 tournament held in England, they surprised many people by beating Italy to gain a spot in the quarter finals.
In fact, so extraordinary was that debut appearance that it seems hard to understand why the Korea DPR side has ever failed to qualify again until the 2010 World Cup (although they did officially qualify in 1976 but the team was withdrawn for political reasons).
So charged still are the political relations between North and South Korea to this day that FIFA had to step in and change the venue of their qualifying match in March 2008. The match was to have been played in North Korea, and they refused to allow the South Koreans to either display their flag or sing their national anthem prior to the game as is traditional. South Korea appealed the matter to FIFA, who when unable to mediate an agreement between the two sides, decreed that the game be moved to Shanghai, China.
The team secured their trip to the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg on June 17th, 2009, one of the first to do so, with a draw against Saudi Arabia in which both teams failed to score. Their qualifying group was won by close rivals South Korea but they finished ahead of third place Saudi Arabia on goal difference.
The team is comprised of players who are both native North Koreans and Zanichi Koreans, players who were actually born in Japan. They all play in North Korea, except Jong Tae – Se, who is the star of Japanese J League team Kawasaki Frontale.
Whenever he speaks to the sports media worldwide, current team manger Kim Jong Hun makes no secret of the fact that the team from 1966 are his continual inspiration, and it his intention to eclipse that feat.
About the Author:
Brad Barrett is the founder of SoccerTools.com, a resource for all soccer fans with a current blog on US, English and World Cup soccer and reviews and information on how to buy soccer equipment such as World Cup jerseys, soccer cleats and soccer balls.
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