[Recent News][6]

K League 1
K League 2
Classic
FC Seoul
Jeonbuk
Daejeon
Challenge
AFC
ACL
Korean National Football Team
Ulsan
Jeonnam
Busan
Jeju
Incheon
Daegu
Seoul E-Land
Podcast
Interview
Suwon
FA Cup
Transfers
KNT Men
K-League Classic
Gyeongnam
Gangwon
K League Challenge
Fans
Pohang Steelers
Ansan
Gwangju
Suwon Bluewings
Asan
Seongnam FC
Gaming
Bucheon 1995
Anyang
Featured
Daejeon Citizen
Preview
Suwon FC
Bucheon
KNT
Football Manager
Abroad
Sangju
Citizen
K League Classic
FM2018
Pohang
World Cup
Busan IPark
Awards
From The Stands
Korean national team
Gimcheon
Elimination Game
News
FIFA
KFA
Asian Cup
EAFF
FM2017
Events
KNT Women
Chungnam
Russia 2018
East Asia Cup
K3
Qatar 2022
FIFA16
K League All Star Game
Power Rankings
Recap
K4
playoffs
Away Days
CONIFA
Club World Cup
Busan Transport
Cheonan
Chungju
Goyang
Inter Korea
North Korea
Ulsan Citizen
Asian Games
Cheongju
Chiangrai United
Cho Hyun-woo
Gimpo
Goyang Citizen
K5
Mokpo City
National League
Pocheon
Russia 2020
SoRare
TNTFC
Yangpyeong FC
scouting

Inter-Korean Workers' Football Match

There wasn’t any K League action at the Seoul World Cup stadium this weekend, but there was a football match watched by over ten thousand spectators. Our Steve Price went to take a look at the Inter-Korean Workers' Football Match.


There have been a series of sports exchanges between North and South Korea since the two formed a joint womens’ ice hockey team for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. They have had sporting exchanges in basketball, taekwondo, and table tennis, and this weekend it was football’s turn.

A large group of South Korean youth footballers crossed the inter-Korean border on Friday, heading to Pyongyang for an international under-15 football tournament. Heading the other way, a group of North Koreans headed to Seoul to take part in the first inter-Korean workers’ football matches held in the South in over ten years.


Reports claim there were over 30,000 people in attendance. I reckon the number was somewhere between 10 and 20,000, most of whom had inflatable blue clappers with a white outline of the Korean peninsula and the words ‘woorineun hana’, loosely translated as ‘we are one’, written on the side. The crowd seemed a bit older than the average K League crowd, and mainly chose to sit in the shade of the upper tier. 


There were two matches, each just an hour long, but football was a rather small part of the afternoon, with over two hours of introductions, formalities, and musical performances before the first game kicked off. A temporary stage had been constructed at the side of the pitch, but rather than cheerleaders, a band played ballads through the first half, as if to slow down the game even more. No effort was spared in the presentation, although judging by the warm Cass, somebody clearly forgot to plug in the beer fridge.

The first match took place between Jikchon Construction, wearing red, and Korea Labour Union, wearing sky blue. The red team had the better chances of the game and were two nil up by the end of the thirty-minute first half. They could have been further ahead if not for some good saves by the sky blue team's goalkeeper. After some Soviet-styled half time music and flag waving, the red team added to their lead with a third goal and I decided to leave so I could get some dinner, quite a few other people had the same idea. The attendance might have been the highest in South Korea this weekend, but this match had very little to do with football.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Start typing and press Enter to search

Featured