N. Korea awards football team for advancing to 2010 World Cup

By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea bestowed awards on players and coaches of
its national football team for advancing to next year's World Cup finals, their
first entry in more than four decades, state media said Tuesday.

Yang Hyong-sop, vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly,
awarded the merit citations and medals in a ceremony on Monday, said the Korean
Central Broadcasting Station, an official radio channel.
The football players "brought glory to the homeland and encouraged our military
and people who are in a great struggle to build a thriving nation," the report
said.
Among the award winners were Kim Jong-sik and Kim Jong-su, director and a vice
director at the Commission of Physical Culture and Sports Guidance. They received
merit citations of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung and current leader Kim
Jong-il, respectively, it said.
The team coach, Kim Jong-hun, and players also received honorary titles of
"people's athletic" or "merited athletic," the report said.
North Korea qualified for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa for the
first time since 1966. In that World Cup in Britain, North Korea beat Italy on
the way to the quarterfinals before losing to Portugal.
As part of preparations for the finals next year, North Korea will hold a
friendly with a Brazilian professional club, Club Atletico Sorocaba, at May Day
Stadium in Pyongyang on Thursday.
In early October, North Korea traveled to the western French city of Nantes to
face off with second-league club FC Nantes. The match ended in a scoreless draw.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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