ESPN Soccernet online

Sunday, March 10, 2002

Whatever happened to the Korean heroes of 1966?

By Daniel King

They arrived in England as unknown representatives of a shadowy communist regime, one which Britain, America and the United Nations had been fighting against just 13 years before.

They left as the darlings of every neutral football fan after beating mighty Italy and becoming the first, and still the only Asian side to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

But since 1966, when Sir Alf Ramsey's England side emerged victorious, nothing had been heard of Pak Do Ik and his North Korean team-mates except dark rumours of imprisonment, the alleged punishment for not winning or for drunken debauchery.

Nothing, that is, until a British film crew, the first Western media allowed into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, found the coach and seven of the team which humbled Italy, alive and well.

The resulting documentary 'The Game Of Their Lives', is a reminder of the power of sport to unite. Which is ironic when, in fewer than three months, North Korea, accused by President Bush of being part of an 'axis of evil', will only be spectators of the first Asian World Cup, jointly hosted by its enemy south of the 38th Parallel.

As Pak Do Ik, then a printer and now an adviser at the Sosan football club in the capital, Pyongyang, said: 'We knew Britain had participated in the Korean War. We thought them to be the enemy but they welcomed us. I learned it is not just about the winning, it's also about the promotion of diplomatic relationships and peace.'

The North Koreans' progress to the finals had been like a military operation. In 1965, the squad moved to a barracks for training and booked their finals place in November by beating Australia 6-1 and 3-1.

Diplomatic considerations threatened to stop North Korea entering England and there were fears the tournament might be cancelled. But once these hurdles had been over-come, North Korea's Great Leader, Kim Il Sung, had an audience with the squad.

Centre-half Rim Jung Son said: 'That day he gave us a big hug and said: "Europeans and South Americans dominate international football. As the representatives of the Asian and African region, as coloured people, I would appreciate it if the North Koreans could win one or two matches".'

The fears the team had about how they would be received in host city Middlesbrough were soon dispelled. Pak Do Ik said: 'They waved our flag, they clapped. I am convinced the attitude of the Middlesbrough crowd affected our games.'

In his overhaul of Korean society, one of Kim Il Sung's guiding forces was Chollima, a winged horse from Chinese mythology symbolising speed and energy. But Chollima football did not work when the Koreans lost their opening game 3-0 to the Soviet Union team.

A late equaliser from Pak Sung Jin earned a 1-1 draw with Chile, but noone expected the match against Italy to end in anything other than defeat. Especially not the Italians, who made seven changes. Pak Do Ik scored the only goal and keeper Ri Chan Myong kept the Italians at bay.

Ri said: 'Behind me was the goal, which was small. But behind the team was the nation and watching were our people and the Great Leader. If I had given them even a chance of a single goal, I would have died of a guilty conscience.'

When the Italians arrived home they were pelted with tomatoes. Even now, footballing and other national disasters are described as 'another Korea'. The victors moved to the Catholic seminary the Italians had presumptuously booked on the outskirts of Liverpool. Pak Do Ik was so frightened, he persuaded team mate Han Bong Jin to let him stay in his room. Despite sleepless nights, the Koreans took the lead against Portugal within a minute and scored twice more before 25 minutes had elapsed. But Eusebio scored four times and a goal by Augusto made it 5-3.

Rim said: 'If we had been more experienced, and thought defensively, we would never have been beaten by the Portuguese.'

But what happened next? In his book The Last Gulag, Pierre Rigoulot alleges players were imprisoned on their return for drinking and womanising. South Korean stories said Pak Sung Jin ate insects to stay alive. In such a secretive regime, the truth may never be known, but the programme makers uncovered no evidence of bad behaviour in England.

Pak Sung Jin and the others denied they were imprisoned and Rim said: 'We were proud of ourselves for getting to the quarter-final, and we felt like winners of a glorious victory, rather than losers.'

That is how they appear to have been treated. Previously unseen footage from a North Korean documentary shows incredible scenes of hero-worship on their return.

Propaganda no doubt, but Communist regimes are reluctant to knock down the heroes they build up.

What happened to the other four Italy heroes is unclear, but the surviving seven have impressive collections of medals for their achievements, live in apartments provided by the state and hold positions of responsibility, many within football. Pak Do Ik's son is a playerturned-coach and his grandson hopes to follow in their footsteps.

When a North Korean train guard picked up a signed ball dropped by the British film crew, he exclaimed: 'Blimey! It's the heroes of the Eighth World Cup.'

It is comforting to know the spirit of '66 also lives on in North Korea.