Posted on 07/28/2005 10:20:46 PM PDT by RockinRight
SEOUL (Reuters) - South and North Korea agreed on Thursday to hold soccer matches in the South's capital next month to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of Japan's occupation of the peninsula.
Negotiators from the two sides, divided at the end of the Japanese rule in 1945, agreed to hold a men's match in Seoul on Aug. 14 and a women's match two days later, Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency and Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported.
The agreement came as senior diplomats from the two, the United States, Russia, China and Japan are in the Chinese capital of Beijing for talks this week ways to end the North Korean nuclear crisis.
The friendly matches will take place soon after North Korea will have played with South Korea, Japan and China in the East Asian Football Federation games in Seoul from July 31.
Despite heightened tensions between the United States and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, South Korea has promoted the expansion of aid and business exchanges with its northern counterpart.
The two Koreas fought each other in 1950-53 and remain technically at war because the war ended in a truce instead of a peace agreement.
Unlike 1969 match between El Salvador and Honduras.
Perhaps Great Britain can send some fans over to educate them on "friendly" matches.
Wonder what North Korea would do if their athletes refused to come home... :D
I was just going to say the same thing. I know Mr. "I'm so Rone-rey" himself (Kim Jong Ill) will hold the players' family members as ransom in case anyone gets any ideas...
Followed by a dual at 20 paces.
I so wish they would release a G-rated version of Team America.
There are so many folks I'd like to show it too but they wouldn't find that part humerous.
What information do you have that South Korea is moving towards communism? Granted, the S Korean government does more than it should to appease the North, but saying they are are moving towards communism is a real stretch. FWIW, I'm posting from Seoul, Korea.
Great game Kim...Got any food?
I think Kim saw "Victory" that soccer movie with Stallone and it gave him a great idea for how to get spies south.
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