S.Korean Anthem Played in N.Korea for 1st Time

South Korean footballers sing the national anthem at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

The South Korean anthem was played in North Korea for the first time ever as a qualifier for the AFC Women's Asian Cup kicked off at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang on Wednesday. South Korea faced India in front of some 5,000 spectators.

Advertisement

The crowd stood respectfully but did not show much reaction when the anthem played.

The match between world No. 17 South Korea and No. 56 India was predictably lopsided. Because North Korea beat India 8-0 in the opening match two days ago, South Korea needed to score a lot of goals to stay in the competition.

Kang Yu-mi scored the first goal in the 11th minute, and Lee Min-a and Lee Geum-min added more. By the end of the first half, South Korea was leading 5-0. India, as expected, played defensively, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

The crowd watched the match quietly, with occasional cheers when India was attacking. There were some moans when South Korean players were celebrating goals, but no jeers.

The second half was a similar story to the first half. Ji So-yun, Yoo Young-a, and Lee Eun-mi scored five more goals to finish the game 10-0. Lee Geum-min landed a hat trick.

Earlier in the day, North Korea beat Hong Kong 5-0 to pick up its second victory in two matches. The two Koreas face each other at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Only the top finisher in each group can advance to the Asian Cup, so this will be a crucial match.