N. Korea to keep focus on football in regional tourney in S. Korea

North Korean football players will keep their focus on the field when they compete in the regional tournament to soon kick off in South Korea, their coach said Friday.

North Korea will participate in the Women's East Asian Cup, which will kick off in Seoul on Saturday. South Korea, Japan and China are other participants in the round-robin event that will wrap up on July 27.

The men's competition will go on from July 20-28.

The North Korean women's football team is here for the first time since the 2005 East Asian Cup. The last time any North Korean sports team played in South Korea was April 1, 2009, when the two Koreas clashed in Seoul for an Asian qualifier for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. South Korea prevailed 1-0.

The North Koreans' participation has added a political dimension to the tournament. The two Koreas have been trying to reduce tensions on the divided peninsula, as officials have engaged in talks aimed at reopening a joint industrial complex north of the border that has remained closed since April.

At a pre-tournament news conference in Seoul on Friday, however, Kim Kwang-ung, an assistant coach for the North, refused to answer questions about inter-Korean ties.

"We're here to participate in the East Asian Cup," Kim said tersely after mulling over a question about inter-Korean relations for several seconds.

Earlier, Kim was asked if he felt his team's participation would help promote sports exchanges between the Koreas. The coach said it was "difficult" for him to answer the question and also said the players are only here to play football.

North Korea will open the tournament against South Korea on Sunday in Seoul. It will then face Japan in Hwaseong, south of the capital, and will play China back in Seoul to end the tournament.

South Korea claimed the inaugural women's title in 2005 and Japan won the next two in 2008 and in 2010.

Japan leads the participants in FIFA women's rankings at No. 3. North Korea is at No. 9, followed by South Korea at 16th and China at 17th.

Kim said North Korea has brought over young players, most of them in their early 20s, but insisted his team is still highly skilled.

"I have a strong conviction and belief in our squad," the coach said of the team, which features seven players who have never appeared in an international match. "We plan to win the tournament."

Kim Song-hui, a 26-year-old midfielder with 18 caps, also expressed confidence in her team.

"We're a technically sound team," she said. "And you will all see that when we play here." (Yonhap)