The Road to South Africa

No team has had to wait longer for this World Cup. North Korea played their opening World Cup qualifier, against Mongolia, in October 2007. They have not exactly thrilled en route to South Africa; scoring just 11 times in their 14 matches, spread over two group stages. They failed to find the net at all in their last three games. In contrast, they did not concede a single goal in the first group stage and went through on goal difference ahead of Saudi Arabia in the second group stage. In all they faced their neighbours South Korea four times in qualification, drawing three times and losing 1-0 in Seoul.

The Star Players

Mun In-guk The North Koreans are hampered by a chronic inability to score goals but the two Mun scored against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Pyongyang earned his team six points that proved to be giant strides on the road to South Africa.

Jong Tae-se (Kawasaki Frontale) A controversial figure in Korean football, Jong , who was born in Japan to South Korean parents, elected to play for the North, for whom he made an eye-catching performance as a striker in the East Asian Championship. He did, however, score only once, in a 2-1 defeat in Iran, in qualification.

Ri Myong-guk (Pyongyang City) At 23, Ri is young for an international goalkeeper but his sureness during qualification was one of the principal reasons why North Korea have returned to the World Cup. Not to have conceded a single goal in the first group stage counts as an achievement – especially in the two games with the other Korea.

The Coach

Kim Jong-hun There is surely no coach in South Africa who would have celebrated his country’s qualification with the words: “There is no other team in the world who would be fighting with the same dedication to please the leader and bring fame to the motherland.” Kim has apparently taken advice from Kim Jong-il on tactics but he has turned North Korea into a formidably disciplined unit who are very hard to break down and who have the kind of physical fitness notable in the South Korean side that made the semi-finals in 2002.

Honours

World Cup: Quarter-finalists 1966.
Asian Cup: Semi-finalists 1980

Analysis

One of the reasons why North Korea were so successful 44 years ago was that their fast, one-touch style of football was so ahead of its time. Now, there is not the same element of surprise. Kim Jong-hun is famed for his meticulous research and the defensive quality of his players has been well tested in qualification. Like South Korea, but even more so, you wonder how they will react when falling a goal behind. Their brief tour of America saw them lose both matches to Mexico and Venezuela while earlier friendlies ended in defeat in Iran and a goalless draw with the French club, Nantes. In this group, above all, just earning a point would count as an achievement.

Verdict

Squad (2/5)
Perhaps their greatest quality is that so little is known about them, although scouts from the other teams in Group G will be closely observing their warm-up games.

Coach (3/5)
Whether or not he takes advice from the “Dear Leader” of North Korea, Kim Jong-hun’s ability as a tactician has been more than proved in qualification.

Attack (1/5)
Frankly, there should be nothing in their forward line that should trouble an international defence.

Defence (3/5)
Sometimes, Kim has been known to use six defenders in his line-up, a tactic that worked perfectly when securing a goalless draw in Saudi Arabia to qualify.