Own goal: Why North Korea suddenly axed plans for World Cup qualifier vs Japan



Analysis Own goal: Why North Korea suddenly axed plans for World Cup qualifier vs Japan Experts say reversal points to incoherent decision-making by a divided leadership weighing the future of COVID policies Joe Smith \| Shreyas Reddy March 26, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Japan on the ball against North Korea during Thursday’s World Cup Qualifier in Tokyo \| Image: Japan Football Association via X (March 21, 2024) What was shaping up to be a remarkable return of international sports to North Korea on Tuesday ended up as an embarrassing own goal after the country suddenly scrapped its World Cup qualifier against historic rival Japan last week, raising questions about Pyongyang’s intent to reopen to the world. The scheduled fixture at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Stadium would have marked the first visit by foreign athletes to the DPRK since it sealed its borders four years ago due to COVID-19, but a forfeit now leaves the team’s World Cup hopes on shaky ground. What was shaping up to be a remarkable return of international sports to North Korea on Tuesday ended up as an embarrassing own goal after the country suddenly scrapped its World Cup qualifier against historic rival Japan last week, raising questions about Pyongyang’s intent to reopen to the world. The scheduled fixture at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Stadium would have marked the first visit by foreign athletes to the DPRK since it sealed its borders four years ago due to COVID-19, but a forfeit now leaves the team’s World Cup hopes on shaky ground. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Analysis

Own goal: Why North Korea suddenly axed plans for World Cup qualifier vs Japan

Experts say reversal points to incoherent decision-making by a divided leadership weighing the future of COVID policies

Joe Smith | Shreyas Reddy March 26, 2024

Own goal: Why North Korea suddenly axed plans for World Cup qualifier vs Japan

Japan on the ball against North Korea during Thursday’s World Cup Qualifier in Tokyo | Image: Japan Football Association via X (March 21, 2024)

What was shaping up to be a remarkable return of international sports to North Korea on Tuesday ended up as an embarrassing own goal after the country suddenly scrapped its World Cup qualifier against historic rival Japan last week, raising questions about Pyongyang’s intent to reopen to the world.

The scheduled fixture at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Stadium would have marked the first visit by foreign athletes to the DPRK since it sealed its borders four years ago due to COVID-19, but a forfeit now leaves the team’s World Cup hopes on shaky ground.

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Own goal: Why North Korea suddenly axed plans for World Cup qualifier vs Japan

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