English Premier League star Son Heung-min to play in Pyongyang for 2022 World Cup qualifier
- But the South Korean’s fame is unlikely to impress North Korean fans, as the English Premier League isn’t watched much in the hermit kingdom
- The neighbours will play a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, a match hailed by one fan as ‘a metaphor for the Korean war’
Son Heung-min may be the most high-profile football player in South Korea and across Asia but the Tottenham forward’s fame fails to penetrate North Korea. When the two neighbours meet in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, the only attention the English Premier League (EPL) star can expect in Pyongyang is from the home team’s defenders.
The EPL is the most popular international league in South Korea, but little watched in internationally isolated North Korea.
“I don’t think the [North Korean] fans know much about Son Heung-min but the players know him well,” said An Yong-hak, a former North Korea international. “Fans in Pyongyang are looking forward to the game. It is not just the opponent, but this is an important World Cup qualifier and if we win it will be a great result.”
An played in all four qualifiers between the two teams ahead of the 2010 World Cup. South Korea won one match, with draws in the other three – two of which took place in Shanghai and not Pyongyang at the request of North Korea. North Korea has home advantage with the 50,000 capacity Kim Il-sung Stadium expected to be full.
“It is a big stadium. North Koreans love football and will make plenty of noise,” An said.
North Korea has not allowed any journalists or fans from South Korea to make the trip to Pyongyang. Requests from the Korea Football Association in Seoul for players and officials to travel directly across the Demilitarised Zone, which divides the neighbours, were also denied. It is unclear whether there will even be a live broadcast from the game.
