The British Football Association has donated some 600 items of sportswear such as gym suits and sweat pants to North Korea, a pro-Pyongyang daily in Japan said Tuesday.
The sportswear was delivered to the North Korea’s football association in a ceremony held in Pyongyang on Thursday with the British Ambassador to the country John Everard attending, the Choson Sinbo newspaper said.
Read the full article here:
British football association donates gym suits to N.K.: report Yonhap 6/17/2008
UPDATED: 6/25/2008
The relay began at the Juche Tower and passed by the Golden Lanes Bowling Alley, East Pyongyang Theater (where NY Phil played) and crossed Chongnyu Bridge to West Pyongyang. Here it passed the Friendship Tower (commemorating Chinese support in the Korean War), Chinese Embassy, Immortal Tower of Kim il Sung, Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, Pothong River Gate, Central Train Station, Kim il Sung Square, Mansu Hill, Chollima Statue, Arch of Triumph, and finished at Kim il Sung Stadium where the relay ended.
North Korea won the 2008 Women’s Asian Cup with a 2-1 win Sunday over defending champion China.
Two second half goals in 10 minutes saw the North Koreans come from behind in the final to beat their neighbor and win their third Asian crown in the past four tournaments.
Bi Yan opened the scoring for China with a long-range shot in the 11th minute, and it held that advantage to halftime.
North Korea drew level in the 57th minute with a header from Asian player of the year Ri Kum Suk, who scored a hat trick in the semifinal win over Australia.
The North Koreans went ahead in the 66th when China goalkeeper Zhang Ranyu was only able to block a shot into the path of Kim Young Ae, who put the ball into the net.
ORIGINAL POST:
Women’s Asian Cup: Ri Kum Suk hattrick sinks Australia, puts North Korea in final Associated Press
6/5/2008
Ri Kum Suk scored a hattrick to power North Korea into the final of the Women’s Asian Cup with a 3-0 win over Australia on Thursday.
North Korea will meet the winner of Thursday’s later semifinal between China and Japan.
Ri, the reigning Asian Football Confederation women’s player of the year, opened the scoring in just the second minute, and doubled the lead four minutes before halftime when she blasted home after a pass from Ri Un Suk.
Australia, which only lost the 2006 final by a penalty shootout, pushed hard for a goal to get back into the contest, but Ri sealed the result on the hour when she shot between the goalkeeper’s legs.
North Korea is a two-time winner of the Women’s Asian Cup, with titles in 2001 and 2003.
ORIGINAL POST: The DPRK’s golf facilities are all easily recognizable from Google Earth: There is the 18 hole course half-way between Pyongyang and Nampo; there is a smaller 9-hole course next to the Yangakdo Hotel; there is a driving range in the Sosan sports district; and there is even a three hole course east of town just south of the Ponghwa Barrage on the Taedong River (This area could be the Ponghwa Executive Apartments mentioned in Kim il Song’s North Korea).
According to Yonhap, the DPRK has successfully expanded their number of golf holes by 60%–increasing them from 30 to 48:
The “Kumgang Ananti Golf and Spa Resort,” including a 18-hole golf course, will open to the public Wednesday after nearly four years of construction, Emerson Pacific Group, a Seoul-based leisure firm, said.
Built on about 1.7 million square meters of land, the resort also has a spa, a hotel and restaurants that provide nice sea and mountain views, according to Kim Min-jeong, a publicity official of the company.
The golf course has already drawn media attention over its 929-meter number three hole, the world’s longest.
The facility, however, will be operated on a membership-only basis for the time being, Kim said, adding that the company plans to open the facility to individual tourists around next year.
Emerson Pacific is waiting for Pyongyang to give the company permission to employ about 200 North Koreans, including 60 caddies, at the resort, the official said.
Read the full story here:
Golf course to open at North Korea’s Mt. Geumgang Yonhap
5/27/2008
British run Koryo Tours have just been informed that this year’s Mass Games in North Korea have been expanded to include two different events, both staged in Pyongyang’s May Day stadium with a full compliment of 100,000 performers. Running from August 4th until the end of September every day bar Sunday will see a 100 minute afternoon performance of an all-new Mass Games show named ‘Prosper the Motherland!’ staged specially for the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 9th September 1948. The classic ‘Arirang’ an 80 minute gymnastic and socialist realism extravaganza will be performed in the evening.
Koryo Tours are running their usual full compliment of tours during this time and details can be found on their website. Koryo Tours offer regular group tours, tours for US citizens (only possible during the Mass Games), specialized trips including to Mount Paekdu, independent tours for small groups, as well as many others. This will likely be a bigger opening event than the Olympics and on a larger scale than ever before.
UPDATE: photos from North Korea’s first cricket game:
ORIGINAL POST:
The venue: Mt. Taesong Park.
Click on image for larger view.
This week Pyongyang hosted its first ever cricket match. I hope to get an update on the game when the team returns to China. Until now, here is what we know from the Telegraph:
The three visiting teams for the Twenty20 tournament will be largely expatriates from England, Australia, South Africa and Holland who are based in Shanghai.
The North Korean side will be boosted by staff from the Indian and Pakistani embassies.
The tournament was planned by Bryan Clark, a British employee of the logistics firm DHL, which has an office in Pyongyang, and the Shanghai Cricket Club, which has been leading attempts to develop the game in China.
Read the full story here:
North Koreans take on the English at cricket Telegraph
Richard Spencer
4/24/2008
UPDATE: You Tube has video footage of the Pyongyang leg of the Olympic torch relay taken from foreign news sources. Judging from the videos, it looks like the ceremony kicked off at the Tower of the Juche Idea, and Pak Do ik was the first relay runner.
Here is coverage on CNN (the announcers make at least two mistakes. They identify the paper flowers people are waiving as Kimjongilia, and they call Kim Jong Il North Korea’s “President”– let’s get with the program people).
I still have not managed to find the entire olympic torch route in Pyongyang or official DPRK coverage of the event. If you find this information, please let me know.
ORIGINAL POST:
North Korea’s most famous footballer (domestically), Pak Do ik, will be carrying the Olympic torch (for the first time ever) through Pyongyang:
Pak was introduced to modern western audiences through his appearance in the documentary The Game of Their Lives, released in 2002. He scored the winning goal against Italy in the 1966 World Cup allowing the DPRK to enter the quarter finals (where the the DPRK lost to Portugal after being up 3-0 early on).
80 individuals were selected for the torch relay, and most are DPRK citizens with significant athletic accomplishments under their belts–such as Jong Song-ok, who won the 1999 World Athletics Championship. The remainder of the runners are officials with the International Olympic Committee, the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang, representatives of Chinese residents in North Korea and major sponsors of the torch relay.
It also looks like the torch might cross the DMZ:
The torch is set to pass from South Korea to North Korea in the early hours of April 28 before heading to Vietnam that evening aboard a flight.
The 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) section linking Juche Tower to Kim Il Sung Stadium, both major landmarks in Pyongyang, was chosen for the event, it said.
It indicated Pyongyang citizens will be mobilized to stand along the street while the torch passes, by saying, “A large welcoming crowd will cheer for the torch runners.” (Joong Ang Daily)
UPDATE: According to Yohnap, the torch will be flown from Seoul to Pyongyang.
Read the full article here:
Athletes selected to carry the torch in North Korea Joong Ang Daily
4/21/2008
N.K. preparations for torch relay almost complete: KCNA Yohnap
4/23/2008
The United Nations has withdrawn its staff from the Olympic torch run in North Korea amid concerns that the relay will be used as a propaganda stunt.
The decision followed a heated internal debate among foreign donors, who face a constant battle with Kim Jong-il’s government in their efforts to get food and aid to impoverished people.
It is believed to be the first acknowledgment by the world body that the Olympic torch relay is a political event that can be exploited by unscrupulous governments, diplomats said.
and…
“Unicef originally decided to participate in the Pyongyang leg of the Olympic torch run in response to a request from, and as a demonstration of support for, the International Olympic Movement,” said Christopher de Bono, a spokesman for the organisation.
“However, we are no longer convinced that Unicef’s participation in the run will support the aim of raising awareness of the situation of children in the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of, or North, Korea] and elsewhere,” he said.
“Unicef has decided, in concert with other UN family entities, to withdraw from the Pyongyang relay.”
Read the full article here:
UN pulls out of North Korea Olympic torch ceremony amid fears of propaganda coup Times of London Michael Sheridan
4/6/2008
Update 1 – 4/3/2008: Interesting coment on DPRK sports social norms below…
By pure serendipity I happened to be in Shanghai last week when the DPRK and South Korea faced off in their first world cup qualifier. As readers are aware, this match was supposed to be held in Pyongyang, but after the DPRK refused to raise the South Korean flag (preferring instead a single “unification” flag), FIFA moved the game to Shanghai.
Both flags were raised and national anthems were played–then the players took to the field. The game was pretty exciting. Although the final score was 0-0 both teams played like they wanted to win. The South Koreans were the clear favorites, so it was a surprise when the game ended in a tie. Fortunately, I could not contact my bookie from China.
Above: the North Korean fans sitting directly below me.
Although it was a “home” game for the North Koreans they were drastically out-numbered by Southerners and contained together in their own section.
The Northerners were quite accessible, however, in the hallways at half-time and after the game. The few I spoke with were language students, business students, engineering students, and businessmen, mostly all from Beijing and Shanghai. They were organized into groups like Japanese tourists, but it was nice they made the effort bringing out some supporters for the home team.
Thanks to Simon for the tickets, scarves, and the title.
UPDATE nkmonitor: The DPRK fans seem pretty friendly. By the way, where they mostly Chaoxian Zu or actual DPRK citizens? Where they aware of the controversy surrounding the match?
Simon:
All the ones in white clothes (as seen in the pics taken from above) were full-on DPRK citizens, as mentioned in the piece above they were mostly working in Beijing and Shanghai; there were airline staff, businessmen, students, waitresses, etc all there. The Chinese chaoxian zu seemed to be sitting on the upper stand across the stadium, at least there were a load of people dressed drably, not really making any noise and they had a couple of NK flags out so I assume this was them. The NKs in the lower stand made a bit of noise and had big singalong at the end. When people attend matches in Pyongyang they tend to just sit in silence regardless of how it is going so this did make a refreshing change from that scenario.
UPDATE 2 (2013-6-24): A documentary was made of the NY Phil’s visit to Pyongyang. You can watch both parts here:
Part I:
Part II:
UDATE 1 (2008-11-17): Suki Kim wrote about the experience in Harpers. Download the PDF here: harpers.pdf
ORIGINAL POST (2008-2-27): Its difficult to say anything about the NY Phil’s performance that has not already been reported on by numerous other forums, but I think I managed to put together enough interesting material to meet the high standards of North Korean Economy Watch readers:
Pyongyang and the Star Spangled Banner
This site claimed that the philharmonic’s performance would likely be the first time that the US national anthem was broadcast on North Korea’s airwaves. The Joong Ang Daily backs this claim up with a caveat:
The Unification Ministry of South Korea said the U.S. national anthem was played in Pyongyang in 2005 at an international boxing match. It is, however, the first time the Star Spangled Banner has been broadcast live across North Korea. (Joong Ang Daily)
The first public performance of the Star Spangled Banner in Pyongyang was in honor of US female boxer Yvonne Caples (official biography here). Here is how it was reported in KCNA:
DPRK Female Pro Boxer Choe Un Sun Wins World Championship
Pyongyang, June 28, 2005 (KCNA) — Female pro boxer Choe Un Sun of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea captured the championship title of the WBCF in the women’s light flyweight category (48.98 kg). Choe Un Sun settled the bout by a unanimous decision over Yvonne Caples of the United States.
The champion belt, trophy and certificate were awarded to Choe.
The match was held at the Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium in Pyongyang Tuesday.
In the interest of fair reporting, here is Ms. Caples’ side of the story:
…Yvonne traveled to Pyongyang, North Korea to be a part of the historic first professional boxing matches in North Korea to fight for the WBCF Jr. Flyweight World Title against North Korean Eun Soon Choi. During Yvonne’s bout the American National Anthem was played for the first time in North Korea. Yvonne knew that in order to get a decision she would probably have to get a knock out. Eun Soon Choi proved to be very strong and skillful. Fighting in front of 13,000 cheering North Koreans, Yvonne fought what she felt was the best fight of her career. Despite the intimidating crowd Yvonne felt relaxed and confident throughout the fight. “I fought the fight of my life and came on very strong in the last five rounds. Even though I felt I won the fight, I knew I wouldn’t get the decision. It is no joke fighting in an arena with 13,000 people cheering against you. I was so proud of myself for keeping my composure and fighting so hard in this fight. I do have to take my hat off to the North Korean fighters. I expected them to be strong and well-conditioned, but they were also very skillful fighters. I don’t think anyone would be able to go over there and completely dominate them or knock them out.”
Ms. Caples aside, the editor of this site sang the US national anthem on a bus full of tourists and north Korean guides traveling to Wonsan in August 2005. For the record, this counts as the second live, “public” performance of the Star Spangled Banner. The NY Philharmonic is only now taking the bronze.
Jazz also made its debut. According to Defector Kim Chol-woong:
[“An American in Paris”] is a masterpiece, a mixture of classical and jazz. I am amazed that they will play jazz, because the genre is strictly forbidden in North Korea.
[W]hat musicians are allowed to perform is strictly political. Jazz is forbidden because it is American music. Jazz is considered lewd and immoral. (Joong Ang Daily)
How many people heard the performance?
The theater holds 1500. According to the WSJ, there were a minimum of 150 foreigners likely in the audience (they flew in with the orchestra). Who knows if any of the small business, NGO, and diplomatic community residing in Pyongyang were able to attend. There was also a dress rehearsal for 1200 earlier in the day.
The Daily NK reports (Via the Japanese Mainichi) the the performance was not boradcast on radio, only on television. This means that relatively few people saw it since the penetration of radios is far more significant than television in the DPRK.
Addendum: Who attended? In the comment section below, “Gag Halfrunt” (clever handle) links to a list of VIP attnedees in KCNA.
Pak was introduced to modern western audiences through his appearance in the documentary 
