South Korea repeats football history. 

By Harvey Stockwin. 
24 June 2002
The Times of India

SEOUL: "Glory, Glory, South Korea" ran Sunday's headline in The Korea Times. 

"Korea erupted into ecstasy over the nation's historic victory over soccer superpower Spain" was the lead in The Korea Herald. 

"Korea's eleven footballers wowed the world by staging a real-life Cinderella story" was the way The Chosun ILbo reported the great football news. 

An estimated six million Koreans screamed with joy as they watched Korea win through to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup on public television screens. 

Anywhere between seven and ten million Koreans, possibly more, publicly partied as South Korea rejoiced at becoming the first Asian nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. 

"Whistles blew, firecrackers erupted, car horns honked to the rhythm of 'Dae Han Min Kuk' (Republic of Korea)" reported The Korea Herald. 

Municipal authorities across the country scrambled to launch fireworks displays by way of celebration. 

In a nutshell, South Korea, always anxious to attain its rightful place in the sun, reverberated to a great nationalist outpouring. 

But only half of the nation rejoiced. Very few nations in the world have not yet heard about the Republic of Korea's shock football victory. 

One of them is North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 

In North Korea, South Korea's joy was not heard. In the DPRK, the ROK's defeat of a soccer superpower was unreported. 

Thereby hangs a another football story. South Korea had finally gone one better than North Korea. 

The year was 1966. Most Asian nations boycotted the World Cup. Only two nations competed to qualify for the final sixteen nations which took part in the World Cup finals in England. 

Since North Korea and Australia did not recognize each other they played both the home and away games in neutral Cambodia. North Korea won decisively. 

Competing in Group Four in England, North Korea first lost to Russia and drew with Chile. It seemed certain that they would not win through to the quarter-finals. 

Then the miracle happened. The virtually unknown North Koreans defeated soccer superpower Italy 1-0. 

This was the first time Korea shocked the soccer world. The miracle seemed to continue when the North Koreans quickly went to a 3-0 lead in their quarter final against Portugal. 

But then the Portuguese star Eusebio got to work, scored a hat-trick, and the Portuguese brought the North Korean dream of success to an end 5-3. 

This earlier "real-life Cinderella story" has been faithfully recorded recently in a documentary The Game Of Their Lives (see the film's website: www.thegameoftheirlives.com). 

Meeting the players of yesteryear, the film was partially shot in North Korea. In return, it dutifully acknowledges the inspiration the North Koreans enjoyed from the Great Leader Kim IL Sung and the Dear Leader Kim Jong IL. 

Which is why the latest South Korean successes go unreported in the North. 

By coincidence South Korea in defeating both Portugal and Italy, and now Spain in 2002, has gone one step beyond the North in 1966, and won through to the semifinals. 

The South Koreans admit their inspiration comes from their Dutch coach Guus Hiddink. As they achieve their shock victories, two of the President Kim Dae Jung's sons have just been detained in prison on charges of corruption. 

President Kim doggedly pursues a "sunshine policy" towards an unreciprocating North Korea. But the "sunshine" of South Korea's success is not allowed to enter the North. 

Even amidst the joy of football games won against the odds, there is no escaping Korea's unending civil war.