How Kim Il Sung's friendship with a king led North Korea to the World Cup



Columns How Kim Il Sung’s friendship with a king led North Korea to the World Cup Cambodia hosted the preliminary match against Australia, setting the stage for the DPRK's iconic upset of Italy Gareth Johnson August 2, 2021 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Eric Lafforgue \| A North Korean propaganda poster for the World Cup (Dec. 6, 2017) Mention Italy to any North Korean and they will almost certainly bring up the 1966 World Cup, when the DPRK shocked “The Blue” to reach the quarterfinals. Sadly, North Korea’s soccer teams are unlikely to replicate this success any time soon due to COVID-19 concerns. The DPRK has withdrawn from one major international competition after another, including the Summer Olympics now underway in Tokyo. Mention Italy to any North Korean and they will almost certainly bring up the 1966 World Cup, when the DPRK shocked “The Blue” to reach the quarterfinals. Sadly, North Korea’s soccer teams are unlikely to replicate this success any time soon due to COVID-19 concerns. The DPRK has withdrawn from one major international competition after another, including the Summer Olympics now underway in Tokyo. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis 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

Columns

How Kim Il Sung’s friendship with a king led North Korea to the World Cup

Cambodia hosted the preliminary match against Australia, setting the stage for the DPRK's iconic upset of Italy

Gareth Johnson August 2, 2021

How Kim Il Sung’s friendship with a king led North Korea to the World Cup

Eric Lafforgue | A North Korean propaganda poster for the World Cup (Dec. 6, 2017)

Mention Italy to any North Korean and they will almost certainly bring up the 1966 World Cup, when the DPRK shocked “The Blue” to reach the quarterfinals.

Sadly, North Korea’s soccer teams are unlikely to replicate this success any time soon due to COVID-19 concerns. The DPRK has withdrawn from one major international competition after another, including the Summer Olympics now underway in Tokyo.

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