[imText1]There was a duel for a place at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa between the North and South Korean soccer teams in the Seoul World Cup Stadium yesterday. With the North leading their qualifying group and the South in close pursuit, there was much to play for.
I went to the stadium not as a journalist but as an ordinary defector who really misses her hometown, in order to meet North Korean soccer players even at a distance. Additionally I had great curiosity about South Korean citizens’ attitude and view of the North Korean players. At the present, tense time, when North Korea’s missile launch is impending and both a South Korean Hyundai worker and two American journalists are being detained in by Pyongyang, I worried that the South Korean crowd would look at them with hostility.
As per FIFA regulations, the flags of both countries were raised and the national anthem spread around the stadium. There might have been only one, me, who was so nervous listening to the North Korean anthem, “Let the morning shine in this land….”
A crowd of 50,000 people in the stadium watched the ceremony, before the game began in front of bright and smiling faces. What if it was held in the May 1 Stadium in Pyongyang? The North Korean audience would be embarrassed by listening to the South Korean national anthem and seeing the flag raised.
As the game went on, I could see out that South Korea is not such a dull country and the people are not narrow-minded. They know about sportsmanship and have good manners. They greeted the North Korean players with frenzied applause and acclaimed their attempts on goal.
When a shot was blocked by North Korean goalkeeper Lee Myung Kook, sighs rippled across the stadium, yet right afterwards they applauded Lee Myung Kook for his display.
I asked a South Korean supporter from Suwon sitting next to me what he thought of the North’s players and this game between North and the South. He said, “Seeing the game between these countries is delightful. It would be much better if our team won, but I hope the North team also records a good score.”
Eventually, the game was won by South Korean winger Kim Chi Woo’s free kick in the second half. After the final whistle, North Korean players left the stadium with heads down, but the audience sent thunderous applause down the tunnel after them.
If North Korean players could go abroad freely and play in advanced international teams, their abilities would grow quickly. I left feeling nothing but compassion for those who have to suffer pressure from political agents and for a reality where games are played not with sportsmanship but for political propaganda.
