The Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Who really knows anything about the place?
From a (perhaps overly) philosophically-informed perspective, watching North Korea play against Brazil yesterday morning was a fascinating insight into a world I will most likely never get closer to. When all we know is freedom, how do we imagine the life of the oppressed? The hardest to picture are the degrees of restriction. So these North Koreans are lied to about how much food they produce, what the rest of the world thinks about them. Their movements, culture and even thoughts are controlled by a leader they have been brainwashed to adore. I was surprised to learn they had any knowledge at all of football - tactics and techniques!
For me, football is an outlet for individual expression, an opinion most likely shared by the Brazilians on the opposing side. For many, football is a way out of poverty-stricken, war-torn origins. Perhaps informed by my expectations, football for the North Koreans, seems like another aspect of life that is orchestrated from above - another arena to be politically manipulated. Striker Jong Tae-Se cried during the national anthem and my mother suggested he was paid to do so. She only believed in Maicon's tears when he scored. Keep in mind, though, that Jong wasn't even born in Korea DPR, but in Japan. He could have played for Japan, South Korea or North Korea but chose the latter. Why ever would he do that?! Maybe he was crying because he was realising his dream of playing in a World Cup? There were 100 or so fans in the crowd (surely flown over by Mr. Kim) dressed in uniforms (surely provided to them by their Dear Leader, no?). How else could they have been allowed to see the outside world? How else would they have been able to afford it?
My grandfather has been to North Korea once for Badminton-related reasons. I'll have to ask him about it next time I see him. Most of what I know is gleaned from what you can find on the internet and a few magazine articles from around the place. The one I remember most is the sneaky investigation Vice Magazine did some time ago.
While I oppose racism, I can't see any way around it when it comes to North Korea. It doesn't want to be understood which just leaves the rest of the world to fear its unknown quantities and qualities. It's both fascinating and terrifying. Hopefully I'll be able to forget all about it once it's Cup run ends.
The game:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/columns/story?id=797237&cc=3436&ver=global
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