ID :
51329
Thu, 03/19/2009 - 12:47
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/51329
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea to come to Seoul for World Cup qualifier: official
SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's football team will come to Seoul in April to compete for the 2010 World Cup ticket against South Korea despite rising inter-Korean tension, Seoul's officials said Thursday.
The two Koreas have already clashed in three preliminary matches for the World
Cup, including one in Seoul, and are scheduled to have their final match on April
1 in the South Korean capital.
An unnamed official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) said the agency had
been notified by the North of its intention to come to Seoul for the April 1
game, despite mounting tension over North Korea's planned missile test.
North Korea has vowed to launch what appears to be a missile between April 4-8
and recently tightened control over cross-border traffic by South Korean
civilians in protest over an ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drill.
"North Korea is eager to advance to the World Cup finals and it now has good
standing in the final qualifying round," the official told Yonhap. "The team will
come to Seoul no matter what the political situation is."
The two Koreas have secured the top two spots in Group Two, putting themselves in
an advantageous position to grab the berth to the World Cup. Both the leader and
the runner-up of two groups in Asia get the right to go directly to next year's
World Cup in South Africa.
The two Koreas recorded draws in last year's World Cup qualifying games held in
Shanghai in March and in Seoul in June. They clashed again in Shanghai last
September and tied 1-1.
Although each team is required to play once in their home venue and once on their
opponent's turf, the communist country has demanded that its home game be held in
a third country, like China. The North has said that it does not allow South
Korea's national flag in the country or its anthem to be played.
Ahead of its match in June of last year, the North cited concerns over the safety
of its players due to massive protests against U.S. beef imports and initially
refused to attend the Seoul match, though it later reversed its position.
The North Korean team will arrive in Seoul on March 29 or 30, after a qualifying
match against the United Arab Emirates on March 28 in Pyongyang, the official
added.
The two Koreas have already clashed in three preliminary matches for the World
Cup, including one in Seoul, and are scheduled to have their final match on April
1 in the South Korean capital.
An unnamed official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) said the agency had
been notified by the North of its intention to come to Seoul for the April 1
game, despite mounting tension over North Korea's planned missile test.
North Korea has vowed to launch what appears to be a missile between April 4-8
and recently tightened control over cross-border traffic by South Korean
civilians in protest over an ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drill.
"North Korea is eager to advance to the World Cup finals and it now has good
standing in the final qualifying round," the official told Yonhap. "The team will
come to Seoul no matter what the political situation is."
The two Koreas have secured the top two spots in Group Two, putting themselves in
an advantageous position to grab the berth to the World Cup. Both the leader and
the runner-up of two groups in Asia get the right to go directly to next year's
World Cup in South Africa.
The two Koreas recorded draws in last year's World Cup qualifying games held in
Shanghai in March and in Seoul in June. They clashed again in Shanghai last
September and tied 1-1.
Although each team is required to play once in their home venue and once on their
opponent's turf, the communist country has demanded that its home game be held in
a third country, like China. The North has said that it does not allow South
Korea's national flag in the country or its anthem to be played.
Ahead of its match in June of last year, the North cited concerns over the safety
of its players due to massive protests against U.S. beef imports and initially
refused to attend the Seoul match, though it later reversed its position.
The North Korean team will arrive in Seoul on March 29 or 30, after a qualifying
match against the United Arab Emirates on March 28 in Pyongyang, the official
added.
