The Korean War, Soccer Style

Anybody else watch the World Cup qualifying draw late last year? When you saw North Korea and South Korea get drawn into the same Asian qualifying group, did you think, “Ooh. Fireworks”?

If so, you were right.

The Koreas are a former single nation with a troubled (and, in the past half-century sometimes violent) history. They were huge pawns in the post-WWII Cold War, with Russian and Chinese communists backing North Korea and the US backing South Korea. The Korean War in the early ’50s helped this proxy battle play out, with much foreign intervention and “help.” An armistice ending the war was signed in 1953 by all parties except S. Korea. Since they never signed, though, the two countries are still technically at war.

And now they’re battling each other to qualify for the World Cup.

The battles being fought right now? National flag and national anthem for the match between the two countries next month. North Korea wants the “unified” versions. South Korea wants to them to be separate.

“North Korea wants us to use a joint Korean flag and anthem … instead of allowing us to use our own,” said You Young-cheul, spokesman for South Korea’s soccer federation.

According to FIFA rules, the flags and national anthems of both participating countries must be used in international matches, You added.

Complicating matters, the two Koreas have used the unified versions at other sporting events in the past.

Despite competing as separate teams, the two countries have marched together at Olympic Games and other sporting events, carrying a joint flag that shows the entire peninsula in blue against a white background.

A folk song popular in both countries has been used as their anthem.

The two Koreas will try to resolve the issue themselves but may have to turn to FIFA for help, You said.

Let’s hope they can work it out without turning this into WWIII.