Koreas to face off in Pyongyang World Cup qualifier

SEOUL: North and South Korea face each other in a World Cup qualifier this week for their first ever competitive men’s match in Pyongyang, while talks on the North’s nuclear arsenal remain deadlocked.

The teams — with Tottenham’s star striker Son Heung-min included in the South Korean squad — are expected to step out onto Kim Il Sung Stadium turf on Tuesday.

The AFC dubbed the match “one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures” of the World Cup qualifiers, but just days before the game there was no indication live television coverage would be available.

It was also unclear whether anyone other than the South Korean team and support staff would be able to go to Pyongyang, let alone fans.

“We have sounded the North side out on such matters through diverse channels, but there has been no response yet,” a spokesman for the South’s unification ministry, which handles relations with the North, told reporters on Friday.

“We found it disappointing,” he said.

FIFA said it was in “regular contact” with both South and North Korea over match preparations but did not give further details.

“Football has the unique power to bring people together in a spirit of celebration and fair play and we sincerely hope that this will be the case on 15 October in Pyongyang,” a FIFA spokesman said.

Under the AFC’s operations manual for international games, the South Korean anthem must be played before Tuesday’s match and its flag flown throughout the game — both of them rarely seen or heard in the North.

The two sides are level at the top of Group H on six points from two games, with the South ahead on goal difference after warming up for the clash with an 8-0 demolition of Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Ranked 113rd in the world, the hosts are well below the South at 37, although they boast recent Juventus signing Han Kwang Song as a counterpart to Tottenham striker Son.

Son said a win could propel his side further along the road to the 2022 finals in Qatar. “We’re not tourists. We will just focus on the game,” Son said.