North Korean fans in Pyongyang

monosharp

Korean fans in North Korea finally get a deal to allow them to watch the world cup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hL4WmQyS0o (Embedding disabled)

North Korea 1966 World Cup documentary. (short discussion)

North Korea in the 1966 world cup, full documentary. (8 parts)

Part 1:

North Korean fans cheering on their team vs Brazil.

bonerm

Thanks. It's nice to get a diff POV on the country esp wrt to their football.

Yes we can all cite incidents to demonstrate how crazy and f-d up this country is etc It seems like my entire life we've gotten nothing but bad press about this country simply because the west needs to have somebody as an enemy at all times and at present North Korea best fits the bill. Classic George Orwell.

I do ask myself if they were all this true about them then why do they even send a country to a major global tournament that in all likelihood could have been sent home a laughing stock with their tails between their legs? They've really nothing to gain from the WC if that's all they are about.

I don't know what the full truth about Kim Jong Il and the rest is but I'd be slow to believe half of what we're fed in the Western press reports about. Even this morning I watched the famous "gym clip" and Adrian Chiles made some snide remark about them not being able to afford training facilities. Was this the truth or were they just out and about "pressing-the-flesh" with the locals for a bit of good PR, but it just suited the press to portray them as amateurish and foolish? Who knows.

Whilst thanks to their isolationist setup the North Koreans may be getting none of the story it often feels like in the west that we're only getting half of it.

Minstrel27

Yes. The labour camps are not real.

monosharp

Minstrel27 wrote: »

Yes. The labour camps are not real.

No ones saying that. What I am saying is half of the stuff you read in the western media about NK is complete nonsense which many people take for fact, the stuff that gets spewed out in the daily rags at home would be laughed at by the South Koreans for its plain ignorance of the subject.

I'm well aware that the videos a joke but just look at the threads here regarding North Korea, even the official match thread between themselves and Brazil had to put up a picture of the 'dear leader' from 'team america' instead of a picture of the team.

Would putting up a picture of a drunk Irishman holding a catholic cross instead of the Celtic team be acceptable in a match thread for themselves vs Rangers ?

I just think that these athletes deserve as much or as little respect as you'd extend to anyone else.

Wolfe Tone

Considering there are rumors that 4 of them have defected..... good athletes, brainwashed. For NK the cold war never thawed.

Minstrel27

monosharp wrote: »

No ones saying that. What I am saying is half of the stuff you read in the western media about NK is complete nonsense which many people take for fact, the stuff that gets spewed out in the daily rags at home would be laughed at by the South Koreans for its plain ignorance of the subject.

I'm well aware that the videos a joke but just look at the threads here regarding North Korea, even the official match thread between themselves and Brazil had to put up a picture of the 'dear leader' from 'team america' instead of a picture of the team.

Would putting up a picture of a drunk Irishman holding a catholic cross instead of the Celtic team be acceptable in a match thread for themselves vs Rangers ?

I just think that these athletes deserve as much or as little respect as you'd extend to anyone else.

Sense of humour is coming next Christmas?

monosharp

MUSSOLINI wrote: »

Considering there are rumors that 4 of them have defected..... good athletes, brainwashed.

I highly doubt that. What possible reason would they have to defect during the World Cup ?

I'm not saying they wouldn't want to defect, and if they did, fair play to them. But they have had a hundred opportunities to defect in richer countries then South Africa with a higher Korean ex-pat community in place. They were in Switzerland just last month which has a large Korean ex-pat community.

Added to that, as professional soccer players they are treated relatively well and have the opportunity of playing abroad for other clubs. Ok its not as easy as in other countries but its very possible if they wanted it enough. Theres a lot of North Koreans who work outside of North Korea, quite a few soccer players who do so, including many who are not on the international team.

For example, these North Koreans play outside North Korea and had a recent call-up to the national team but didn't make it.

Name: Kim Song-Gi Club: Korea University (Japan)
Name: Kim Kuk-Jin Club: Wil(Switzerland)
Name: Ryang Yong-Gi Vegalta Sendai(Japan)
Name: Kim Seong-Yong Kyoto Sanga(Japan)

Minstrel27

I would like to see all of your evidence that shows North Korea is an awesome country. Thank you in advance.

monosharp

Minstrel27 wrote: »

I would like to see all of your evidence that shows North Korea is an awesome country. Thank you in advance.

I'd like to see any of your evidence where I said any such thing.

sceptre

Those fans cheering on NK against Brazil may be North Korea fans (aka fans of North Korea) but they're certainly not North Korean fans (aka fans from North Korea):)

Relevant link

Nice to see the team do well though, albeit less well than in 1966.

Alot of people defending NK and saying others are telling false truths about it are wrong.

For example someone defending the country said the other day on here that they are allowed to watch the wc and know their results.

Off the ball had a proffesor from SK on the show before the wc,he said they are not allowed to watch it and anyone who knows the results does so from bringing a radio from SK over the border and listening to the result,which will get you in huge trouble if you are caught.

(the radios sold there have their frequencys limited to stop them from hearing outside broadcasts)

He also said no fans are permitted to travel to the wc and the fans attending are paid chinese actors.

The country clearly has serious issues,I dont agree with politics mixing with sport but those defending the country should maybe do a bit more research.

monosharp

sceptre wrote: »

Those fans cheering on NK against Brazil may be North Korea fans (aka fans of North Korea) but they're certainly not North Korean fans (aka fans from North Korea):)

I'm not saying none of their 'fans' are paid actors from China cause I don't know but the lads in that video most definitely, 100%, are speaking Korean with a North Korean accent.

I'd also like to call possible BS on this for another reason. North Korean fans have followed their team during the qualifiers to other countries, one match against South Korea in China for example.

So while they very well might have given some Chinese people tickets to go or even paid some to go to sure up the numbers, there are most definitely a lot of North Koreans there.

Don't forget that just because the country's in dire straits economically and 60%+ of the population are dirt poor practical slaves, theres still a large percentage of the population who are part of the 'elite'. Even if its only 5% of the population, thats 5% of 23 million.

Many North Koreans who are part of the 'elite' up there get to study and work abroad. Switzerland is known for taking in shed loads of North Korean exchange students and Russia & China are well known for having lots of North Korean workers who come and go for work/business.

Nice to see the team do well though, albeit less well than in 1966.

I thought their performance against Brazil was brilliant and I'm gonna be shouting them on from now on, my 2nd choice after South Korea.

everdead.ie

There is an Englishman that supports nk and he travels to all the away matches he said he'smore often then not the only north Korea fan there

monosharp

Amelia Polite Bridge wrote: »

For example someone defending the country said the other day on here that they are allowed to watch the wc and know their results.

I take it you didn't watch my video link then ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/sportvideo/footballvideo/7833787/North-Korean-fans-watch-World-Cup.html

Or do you think that was setup ?

Off the ball had a proffesor from SK on the show before the wc,he said they are not allowed to watch it and anyone who knows the results does so from bringing a radio from SK over the border and listening to the result,which will get you in huge trouble if you are caught.

Thats rubbish, source please ? A South Korean TV station has provided North Korea with coverage of the world cup since 2002 free of charge until this year because of the sinking of the S. Korean ship incident. Another source has stepped in.

(the radios sold there have their frequencys limited to stop them from hearing outside broadcasts)

True.

He also said no fans are permitted to travel to the wc and the fans attending are paid chinese actors.

False, maybe some but most definitely not all. Many of them are members of the North Korean elite who are also allowed to travel for study or work. Would you like some evidence ?

Blog of Austrian guy who traveled to Pyongyang by train from Vienna.
http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/2008/09/irkutsk-skovorodino.html

North Korean train conductors who regularly travel to Russia on this train.


North Korean sports people who were on the same train, from Russia to Pyongyang, un-escorted.
http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/2008/09/khabarovsk-khasan-border-russiadprk.html

The country clearly has serious issues,I dont agree with politics mixing with sport but those defending the country should maybe do a bit more research.

I live in Seoul, I'm married to a Korean, I've worked with North Korean refugees as a volunteer for the past year.

If you'd like to prove me wrong please debunk any of the above.

Oh yeah and one last thing. There are at least 50 Japanese-Koreans there support North Korea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan[1] (Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe in Korean or Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai in Japanese), abbreviated to Chongryon[1] (Korean: 총련, Hanja: 總聯) or Chōsen Sōren (Japanese: 朝鮮総連), is one of two main organisations for Zainichi (or Jaeil) Koreans (long term Korean residents in Japan), and has close ties to North Korea (DPRK).

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2010/06/08/north-korea-fans-pay-6900-for-dream-world-cup-trip-from-tokyo/
An excited bunch of about 50 soccer fans are set to fly out from Tokyo June 14 for a historic game at the World Cup in South Africa. Not to watch Japan, though –- to follow their preferred team, North Korea.

Fair enough,you clearly know alot about the country.

Regarding the proffesor he was a yank teaching in SK and what I said above is what he said.Im not gona find it but it would be on the newstalk website highlights show,last 2 weeks sometime.
Didnt sound like he had any agenda and was saying that alot of SK's would support NK.

Out of curiousity can you tell me why they do limit the frequencys on the radio's and stuff.
Surely they must be limiting alot exposure then,is it just world politics they dont want seen?

monosharp

Amelia Polite Bridge wrote: »

Fair enough,you clearly know alot about the country.

Regarding the proffesor he was a yank teaching in SK and what I said above is what he said.

Ah OK now it makes sense. By 'professor' I assume he was teaching English in a University.

Didnt sound like he had any agenda and was saying that alot of SK's would support NK.

You know that the US and SK pump out their own propaganda against the North ? Most of it well deserved but a lot of it is just plain wrong.

Out of curiousity can you tell me why they do limit the frequencys on the radio's and stuff.

I think you pretty much had the reason yourself no ? They don't want the North Koreans to see outside broadcasts. They don't want them to see outside news that isn't filtered by themselves first, especially propaganda from the South.

Listen don't think for a second I'm defending the regime up there, its an evil brainwashed inhumane dictatorship which treats the vast majority of its own people as slaves.

I'm simply saying that X, Y and Z bad thing is correct but W is made up media nonsense. Its a hell hole but I just want people to know the real reasons its a hell hole, not some journalistic nonsense.

Surely they must be limiting alot exposure then,is it just world politics they dont want seen?

Absolutely, they especially don't want South Korean propaganda which specifically attack the personalities of the Kim's to get through.

I wouldn't say limit though, I'd say 'edit'. You'd be surprised at how much they actually know up there about world affairs, just a re-edited version of it.

Heres a really good short documentary on NK.