The North Korean coach, who won his first international competition in five years, expressed his thoughts on victory.
On the 19th, they defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 in the first match of Group F of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games men’s soccer group stage held at Zhejiang Normal University Stadium in Jinhua, Hangzhou, China.안전놀이터
At the post-game press conference, North Korean coach Shin Yong-nam said briefly, “I am satisfied. Our players played well.”
It was the first international competition in five years. North Korea disappeared from international sports competitions after the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. The Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended North Korea from participating, but the disciplinary action was lifted when the deadline expired at the end of last year, opening the way for participation. Coach Shin Yong-nam said, “We haven’t been able to appear (at international competitions) for the past four years, but we have maintained our performance through continued competition in Korea.”
North Korea won 2-0 against Taiwan on this day, thanks to goals from Ri Jo-guk and Kim Kook-jin. Regarding the two players, coach Shin Yong-nam said, “They followed the instructions completely well. That’s why they achieved good results.”
He did not say anything about the goal of the competition. Director Shin Yong-nam said, “The result was good, but I’m not thinking about the next time. The future is important.”
He did not easily talk about North Korea’s military power. When asked about the national team’s strengths, he gave a short answer: “I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything because the game is in progress. I’m sorry.”
He then expressed his ambition, saying, “I will do my best to win the next game.”
Regarding the match with the Korean national soccer team, he said emphatically, “Winning is the order of the day on the stadium. If I get the chance in the future, I will definitely try to win.”
During the game against Taiwan, five female North Korean cheerleaders visited the stadium. Dressed in matching clothes and hats, they took a seat on one side of the audience and cheered passionately by hitting balloons. The voices directed at the North Korean athletes, with just five people shouting, were not pushed back. Coach Shin Yong-nam said, “Our players receive great emotion and strength from the cheering team and are able to demonstrate their abilities on the field.”