At 3:30 AM on the 16th, the North Korean football team kicked off their game in Johannesburg with possibly the strongest team on earth, Brazil.
There were a few well-known North Korean players on the turf of the Ellis Park Stadium, even for someone like me who is not so into football; Jong Tae Se and Lee Myung Kook, among others. Despite the fact that it was a David and Goliath matchup, I even saw confidence on their faces rather than tension.
Eventually Brazil did score twice, but the North Korean team did not give up and finally got their reward in the 89th minute.
Some say that the reason why the number one seed only scored two goals was that North Korea’s defense was so neat and systematic. Those who watched the match at dawn in Korea must have been impressed by the North Korean players’ fighting spirit, concentration and endurance. The result was created thanks to their spirit, not their luck or ability.
When the North got their one precious goal against that strongest and most skillful side in the tournament, I must admit I cheered loudly. It was worth much more than Brazil’s two goals.
And while the South Korean team’s two goals against Greece simply felt thrilling, the North’s goal, scored by Ji Yoon Nam after beating two Brazilian defenders, gave me much more complicated, mixed feelings: painful sympathy, but with a sense of relief that washed away something that had been hidden deep in my mind over the last ten years in China and here in Seoul.
Defectors like me must have tossed and turned as the sun rose over Seoul after the match, thinking about the minds of the players walking from the field after the game.
This is because we know very well that they would have been eager to keep their pride in being North Korean deep in their guts, even as they offered empty praise to the Leader and Party whenever they appeared in the media.
At the same time, we also knew very well that their on-field efforts would be used for the idolization of Kim Jong Il. Yet we defectors still prayed for a North Korean victory.
We will root for the North Korean team in other matches, too. We hope they play well, with a positive attitude, so that the people’s pride, which has been spoiled and abused by North Korea’s leaders, can be honestly shown.
If the cheering of South Koreans drifts over the DMZ this World Cup and the North Korean people hear it, the sweat and tears will certainly not be in vain.
Go North Korea! Fighting!
