World Cup Qualifier in P’yang to Test Seoul’s Policy

Inter-Korean negotiations over a World Cup soccer qualifier between both Koreas in the North Korean capital is being considered a testing ground for Seoul’s policy toward Pyongyang.

In bilateral talks in Gaesong Feb. 5, the communist country demanded that a neutral Korean Peninsula flag and a traditional folk song be used in the game instead of South Korea’s national flag and anthem.

The request has drawn criticism both in South Korea and abroad. Korea Football Association (KFA) Vice Chairman Cho Jeong-yun said, “It is not a friendly match. In an event hosted by [soccer’s world governing body] FIFA, the national flag should be used and the national anthem should be played. If this issue is not addressed, we will have to play in a third country.”

Because the squabble will likely be ironed out, however, the match in Pyongyang is expected to proceed as planned.

When North Korean soccer officials asked their South Korean counterparts for working-level talks yesterday, Cho asked for a delay due to the East Asian Football Federation Championship, to which the North agreed. This is a sign of change as the North, which had no response until the start of the tournament, proposed the meeting first.

A tremendous amount of money is at stake in the World Cup qualifier, and North Korea seeks economic gain and to take advantage of playing at home. Thus Pyongyang will not easily give up the match on its soil, say experts.

Cho is negotiating with the North, putting the top priority on the match in Pyongyang. “It will not be held in a third country,” he later said.

If the North insists on using the Korean Peninsula flag and the folk song “Arirang,” however, he will ask FIFA for help.

The association will send Cho and overseas cooperation director Goh Seung-hwan to the inter-Korean soccer talks in Gaesong today.

yjongk@donga.com