North Korea reportedly selling World Cup sports package tour to foreigners. 

20 June 2002
BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific - Political

Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap 

Seoul, 20 June: North Korea has been selling a sports tour package to foreign tourists timed with the opening of the 2002 FIFA Korea-Japan World Cup finals, a source here said Thursday [20 June]. 

"The tour package enables foreigners to do soccer and swimming, and especially targets Britons and Italians, who well remember North Korea's soccer team advance to the quarterfinals in the 1966 World Cup finals in London," the source said. 

"The package is now on sale at a North Korea tour specialist agency in China being run by former British architect Nick Bonner," the source said. "The package are basically for group tourists, and allow tourists to meet a North Korean soccer team and have friendlies with them," the source said. 

It has yet to be confirmed whether there are foreigners who have applied for the tour, the source said. 

Meanwhile, the North Korean government allowed a British documentary maker to film North Korean soccer players, including striker Park Doo-ik, who participated in the 1966 Cup finals, at Bonner's arrangements, and this year, the BBC aired the documentary. 

Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0558 gmt 20 Jun 02.