But it's only soccer, right?

[DMD]

I have to believe this has a negative effect on recruiting new players.

 

North Korea shames its World Cup losers

 

North Korean striker Choe Kum-Chol reacts to a 3-0 loss to the Ivory CoastCAPTIONBy Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty ImagesNext time American athletes take umbrage at harsh words from a coach they might want to count to 10 and just give thanks that they don't live in North Korea.

 

Reports have surfaced that the World Cup team was subjected to public humiliation after its failure to advance beyond the opening round.

 

Radio Free Asia and South Korean media outlets have reported the entire squad was forced onto a stage at the People's Palace of Culture and subjected to criticism from Pak Myong-chol, the sports minister, as 400 government officials, students and journalists watched the six-hour ordeal.

 

Also, coach Kim Jong-hun reportedly has been relegated to a construction job and expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea. (They make him a blue collar guy, but won't let him be in the Workers' Party? Go figure.)

 

North Korea, in its first World Cup since 1966, lost all three group games, including an embarrassing 7-0 wipeout against Portugal. Funny thing is that North Korea saw this futility coming, and banned the broadcast of live games to contain potential embarrassment, but then allowed them after a close 2-1 loss to Brazil.

 

Other nations have had similar over-reactions to World Cup failures. This year, France dumped its entire roster after the tournament. And Iraq has a history of beating and even killing players who couldn't win.

 

Likewise, the North Koreans could have been treated even more harshly than they were. The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted a South Korean intelligence source saying, "In the past, North Korean athletes and coaches who performed badly were sent to prison camps."

[Ursa Majoris]

Not a surprise. I expected half of them to defect because they must have known what was coming. They may have seen this as getting off lightly.

[DMD]

MAn - sitting on a stage getting publicly berated for SIX HOURS? About five minutes into it I would be telling them where to stick their soccer ball.

[Ursa Majoris]

MAn - sitting on a stage getting publicly berated for SIX HOURS? About five minutes into it I would be telling them where to stick their soccer ball.

And subsequently getting shot.

[DMD]

And subsequently getting shot.

 

I accept I would not last long in certain places. But seriously - why would you want to play for them knowing what will happen when you lose. That's why I never understood why they played for Iraq because they did get shot. It's all hard to comprehend sitting here in the U.S.

[dmarc117]

I accept I would not last long in certain places. But seriously - why would you want to play for them knowing what will happen when you lose. That's why I never understood why they played for Iraq because they did get shot. It's all hard to comprehend sitting here in the U.S.

 

 

the alternative is probably slave labor in some mine.

[ts]

If the alternative was being strapped in a chair (think 'Clockwork Orange') being forced to watch 6 hours of 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' reruns or something, I'll take the public humiliation on stage thank you.

[Ursa Majoris]

If the alternative was being strapped in a chair (think 'Clockwork Orange') being forced to watch 6 hours of 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' reruns or something, I'll take the public humiliation on stage thank you.

Or 6 hours of being forced to listen to country music.