North Korea and South Korea Shake Hands for Soccer

March 31st, 2009 | by: Daryl | Comments Off

Remember what happened last time North Korea met South Korea in World Cup qualifying? It was a diplomatic disaster. North Korea refused to let their southern brothers display the South Korean flag or sing the South Korean anthem at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, and do FIFA stepped in and the game was moved all the way to Shanghai, China.

This time around things are going a little better. South Korea are hosting in Seoul tomorrow (April 1st) and seems everyone will be able to sing whatever songs they want. The two head coaches Huh Jung-moo (left) Kim Jong-hun (right) have been pictured shaking hands to prove that everything’s OK. Don’t they look comfortable?

Normally, the fact that the North Korean team was in South Korea at all would be massive news, but seems the football has been overshadowed by North Korea’s planned rocket launch, which has Northern Asia – and everyone else in the world – a little worried.

It would take some football match to knock that rocket launch out of the headlines (seriously, would have to finish 12-11 with a last minute winner scored by a goalkeeper or something) but here’s hoping the beautiful game can at least relieve a bit of tension – both local and global.

Footballing wise, it’s still an important game. Here are the Asian World Cup Qualifying standings:

North Korea are top, two points ahead of South Korea, who have a game in hand. So a South Korea win would see them jump to the top, and make them favourites to qualify. The top two from each group go to the World Cup anyway though, so there’s a genuine chance that 2010 could be the first World Cup to feature both Koreas.

For more on this game, read South Korea World Cup Blog