In a bizarre incident, the North Korean Men’s Soccer Team was physically involved with the referee after their game. The North Korean team was furious about the referee’s decision to award Japan a penalty after North Korean goalkeeper Kang Juh Yok clipped the feet of Jun Nishikawa with his arm.
In the quarter-final match of the Asian Games 2023, North Korea clashed with Japan. North Korean players protested when Uzbek referee Rustam Lutfullin awarded a penalty to Japan after their goalkeeper Kang Juh Yok charged out and clipped the feet of Japan’s Jun Nishikawa with an outstretched arm. The goalkeeper was seen arguing with the referee while shaking his head in disappointment.
North Korean players started attacking the referee in their 2-1 loss in the 🇰🇵 North Korea vs Japan 🇯🇵 game last night
This referee was rightly scared 💀 forget about Liverpool’s ‘action’, North Korea is going to nuke the FA 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ND2K03M6VB
— seki セキ (@seki_online) October 2, 2023
Yuta Matsumura opened the goal tally from the spot in the 80th minute for Japan at the Xiaoshan Sports Center Arena. Japan went through to the semi-finals of the Asian Games 2022 defeating North Korea 2-1. However, the actual drama started after the referee blew the final whistle.
North Korea skipper Jang Kuk Chol and colleague Kim Kyong Sok charged heatedly towards referee Rustam Lutfullin after the final whistle. They continued to chase after the Uzbek on the pitch as he attempted to step back. With the showdown attracting the associate referees and a few safety staff, the North Korean coach likewise rushed to his players to attempt to stop what was going on.
North Korean coach Sin Yong Nam backed his players. He said that he admits that his players were a little bit over-excited in the match. But in soccer, you have that liberty. He said that it’s normal to have confrontations in soccer matches. He further went on to say that their behavior was ‘acceptable’.
The North Korean soccer team faced backlash on X due to their behavior. A fan wrote that he would not want to attend the North Korean Team’s match. Another fan wrote that the North Korean Team should be banned from playing altogether. Another fan wrote that they’re inspired by their dictator leader Kim Jung Un, and have a ‘Kim Jung Un’ mentality.
North Korean player loses cool over a water bottle
During the match, the North Korean players asked Japanese logistics for water. The Japanese logistics gave them water. Then the North Korean players hit someone and received a yellow card.
At one point when a player on the pitch fell, play halted, and players from the two groups were given water. Here, North Korean defender Kim Yoo-sung went after the bottle that Japan was holding as he attempted to supply water. The bottle was sent back to the Japanese staff.
What do you think of this too?
Taking water away from the staff of the Japanese delegation
North Korean national team player who pretended to beat him up.
I wish they would relearn their attitude towards sports and the basics of soccer! pic.twitter.com/IDvR5Ttfm1— くまごん (@LiSAWILDCANDY) October 1, 2023
However, Kim attempted to grab it and undermined him with a raised left-clenched hand. He was promptly shown a yellow card for his shock before the official, yet Kim kept on drinking water while the card was raised and got back to play with next to no evil disappointment.
