Biffa Bacon
Well-Known Member
When he first played for them it had been 40 years since they'd played in the World Cup finals and I don't think anyone expected them to qualify for the 2010 finals. So I don't think it was anything to do with the World Cup, it was more to do with his attachment to the country, despite not having lived there.
I'm not saying I don't think we should sign him, just that I think the people who say he had no choice about playing for North Korea, or that he did it to play at the WC finals are not aware of his history.
This is what it says about him on Wikipedia:
"Jong is a third generation South Korean who was born in Nagoya, Japan to second generation South Korean parents with South Korean citizenship. His mother identified herself as a North Korean and sent him to attend a private school in Japan run by Chongryon, a group closely tied to the North Korean government – where he started football at its elementary school club. He later attended Korea University, a private university in Tokyo also funded by Chongryon"
So it sounds like he was brainwashed by the North Koreans from a young age.
i've met plenty if Koreans in Nagoya, a significant number of them living in boxes under the raised highways. It's not a glamorous life for them, but I guess that makes little difference. The Japanese treat Korean immigrants fairly harshly and that may have changed the guys perception if capitalism but why would people have a problem with his football choices?