While the world was shocked by the North Korean national soccer team’s ‘gangster soccer’, the Japanese media analyzed the reasons why North Korea’s ‘gangster soccer’ was inevitable.

North Korea lost 1-2 to Japan in the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 held at the Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, on the 1st (Korean time).

The violent behavior of North Korean players became more of a hot topic than the game itself. During the 28-minute break in the second half when North Korea was down 0-1, the Japanese national team staff distributed water bottles to the players. Kim Yoo-seong took out a water bottle and took action to hit a staff member. When the Japanese players protested, Kim Yu-sung glared and drank water as if to show off. The referee gave Kim Yoo-seong a warning.

Throughout the game, North Korean players blatantly fouled the Japanese players. Instead of looking at the ball, he looked at his legs and tackled it with both feet. On this day, North Korea received six yellow cards. It was even more strange that there was no red card.

When North Korea’s defeat was confirmed, the players exploded. They ran towards the referee as a group and protested fiercely. Kim Gyeong-seok pushed the referee twice with his arm. A skit took place where officials even came forward to protect the referee from the players.

The embarrassed Japanese coach quickly sent the players off for fear of being caught up in the rough behavior of the North Korean players. North Korean coach Shin Yong-nam said, “It is true that some players were excited, but the referee was not fair. “This is an insult to soccer,” he complained about the referee’s decision.

After the game, media and soccer fans around the world criticized North Korea’s actions. Japan’s ‘Football Zone’ said, “A North Korean player robbed a Japanese player of a water bottle and even threatened to hit him by swinging his fist. The foolish act was broadcast all over the world. The Japanese players responded calmly,” the report said.

‘Heaven and Hell’ decided based on competition performance

On the 2nd, the global edition of the Asahi Shimbun analyzed the reasons for North Korea’s unmannered behavior under the title “5 reasons why North Korea’s soccer team ran to the referee after losing to Japan.”레고토토

One of them was the treatment of players that varied depending on their performance in the competition. The media said, “The Hangzhou Asian Games were an important place for North Korean athletes to decide between ‘heaven and hell.’ Until now, the Asian Games have not been a very important international competition in North Korea compared to the Olympics and World Cup. “There was a perception that advancing to the finals at the Asian Games was a given,” he explained.

He continued, “If these national team players lose in the quarterfinals, they may not have the opportunity to appear in the next international competition,” adding, “The players may be taken to a labor training camp. Even if it’s not that bad, at least it becomes difficult to find the job you want. “You have to be prepared to go to the military,” he said, analyzing the possibility of North Korean athletes losing their freedom.

He added, “If the players who participated in this tournament had left good results, they would have been given the opportunity to play on a larger international stage. “I could have become like Han Kwang-sung, who was once called North Korea’s Ronaldo and played in Italy, but that ended up being a dream,” he added.

Another reason is that sports in North Korea are like war, that soccer is the most popular sport, that it is a sport that Kim Jong-un pays attention to, and that the country has a spirit that it cannot lose to Japan due to its thorough anti-Japanese sentiment. explained.