South Korea unhappy about treatment in Pyongyang

South Korean national football team player Son Heung-min arrives at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, Thursday. South Korea's men's national football team has described their World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Pyongyang as a "rough" and strange match. AP-Yonhap

By John Duerden

South Korea's players returned to Seoul on Thursday after their 0-0 tie with North Korea in Pyongyang two days earlier. They had plenty to say to reporters waiting at Incheon International Airport about their 2022 World Cup qualifier.

The two teams had never played a competitive game in Pyongyang before and South Korea had only appeared there once and that was a friendly back in 1990. That was a long time ago but even so, everyone had an idea of what to expect. .

First there was the on-field stuff. The game at the Kim Il-sung Stadium was not broadcast anywhere in the world. There were no fans allowed either. At the time the players returned to the Land of the Morning Calm, nobody had seen the game ― journalists did get a showing later from a DVD that the Korea Football Association (KFA) brought back ― so there was plenty of interest in getting the take from those involved.

"The opponents were pretty physical, and we exchanged some terse words," Son Heung-min said. "It might have been their strategy. They played it rough, and they took exception to our own physical play."

Rough play has been a feature of games between the two teams in the past but this was a new level according to the Tottenham Hotspur star.

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"Rather than focusing on the match, we started worrying about trying not to get hurt," Son said. "It means a lot to have come out unscathed from a match like this."

Other players told of similar problems during the game as did Choi Young-il, vice president of the KFA.

"It was like war," Choi said. "They would use everything from elbows to hands to knees to fend off our players. It was really difficult. The North Koreans wouldn't even make eye contact when I talked to them, not to mention respond."

Off the field there were also issues with Choi talking about the total lack of communication with the outside world. "We couldn't even get near to the hotel exit and we were the only people staying there."

Many of the accounts were in a similar vein. Some of this may be a little overblown. Rightly or wrongly, such issues are the norm for teams visiting Pyongyang. Visiting players are, as a rule, not allowed to wander around the city.

Indeed those who have covered South Korean trips overseas in the past may be scratching their heads when trying to remember how common it has been to see officials and players venturing far from hotel or training fields at all ― although not being able to is different than not wanting to.

With the traveling party being forced to leave their phones in Beijing then it must certainly have been a dull 48 hours, a period not helped by the failure to grab victory.

Whatever happened, there does seem to be genuine bad feeling among the South Korean party. There was some talk of paying North Korea back in Seoul next June for the physical play and it is certainly the case that the best form of revenge is to win which could stop North Korea going into the next stage of qualification.

That may be the ideal outcome. Another meeting in Pyongyang would not be welcome. It just comes with too much baggage. All in all, it was not a particularly pleasant week for soccer fans on the Korean peninsula.

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