“See You at the Final Match”

Hard training for FIFA U17 World Championship in August-

On Monday, 23 North Korean national soccer players under the age of 17 were having intensive training at the Hungta Sports Complex Town Stadium in Kunming, China. It was a hard training session that included sprint training and interval training to develop speed and endurance much in the same way former South Korean national soccer team coach Guus Hiddink trained his players.

The North Korean team has been preparing in Kunming 2000m above sea level for the 2007 Under-17 Soccer World Cup hosted by South Korea in August since February.

As North Korea is inappropriate for training due to its cold weather in winter, the team came to Kunming, a place known for its marathon training properties, to boost its athletes’ endurance.

Ahn Yea Gun, 49 (see picture), the North Korean soccer team coach, said, “Playing in South Korea is no different than playing in North Korea. I want to reap good results. I hope that the North and the South meet in the finals, displaying the high-level of soccer played by the two Koreas to the world.” Since last December, a host of North Korean players under 17 have been training together at the camp.

Lee Chan Myoung, 62, the North Korean team captain, said, “ North Korean government officials including leader Kim Jong Il are paying great attention to soccer. I believe that recent great performances in the international field and high morale among players will produce good results.”

Training on Jeju Island with a Focus on Offensive Soccer Tactics-

North Korea has shown outstanding performances, winning the title of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-19 Soccer Championship last year and claiming the Women’s Soccer Championship at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

The North Korean youth team will use the training camp on South Korea’s southern island of Jeju from March 20 with the assistance of the Korea Football Association (KFA). Coach Ahn said, “We decided to train in South Korea to get used to the fields where the championship will be held, and have a friendly match with our world-class South Korean counterparts.”

The North uses offensive soccer tactics by putting strikers like Ahn Il Beom at the front. The driving force of its offensive soccer strategy is strong stamina. Most of its training programs are focused on building up stamina.

North Korean team captain Kim Hyun said, “We will work hard to reap good results in the World Championship in the South, our brother country.”

yjongk@donga.com