South Korean soccer team tells of ‘rough’ match in Pyongyang

Oct 16, 2019 | 7:03 PM

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korea’s national soccer team has described their World Cup qualifier against North Korea in Pyongyang as a “rough” and strange match.

The historic match Tuesday ended in a scoreless draw at huge Kim Il Sung Stadium, which was empty of spectators.

Tottenham striker Son Heung-min said Thursday he would long remember the Pyongyang match as an unusual experience and claimed the South Korean players were lucky to avoid injury against the North Koreans, who he said were “very sensitive and rough.”

The team’s general manager Choi Young-il says the South Korean soccer association will discuss whether to submit a complaint to FIFA over what he described as North Korea’s failure to properly accommodate the visiting team and decision to block media and spectators.