# The Fate of the North Korean Soccer Team **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904 "2010-08-02T16:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/1 "2010-08-02T16:42:24Z")
There was much speculation after North Korea’s loss in the World Cup about what would happen to the team after they went back home. Would they be imprisoned, sent to hard labor, or shot? [Time magazine reports:](http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/07/30/after-world-cup-humiliation-north-korean-team-is-publicly-shamed/) > [@](#): > > …the football players stood on a stage at the People’s Palace of Culture and were criticized in front of hundreds of people–for six hours! After being disparaged for failing in their “ideological struggle,” the team was also forced to blame their coach, Kim Jong-hun, for their loss. Jong-hun has reportedly already been punished by being expelled from the Workers’ Party of Korea and being forced to become builder. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/2 "2010-08-02T16:45:48Z")
Excellent post title/user name combo. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/3 "2010-08-02T16:45:49Z")
It’s the “feel good” story of the year. Noboby was executed! ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/4 "2010-08-02T16:48:27Z")
> [@LateComer](#): > > Noboby was executed! Poor Noboby. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/5 "2010-08-02T21:37:46Z")
There were persistent rumours (which turned out to be totally unfounded) that all but one of the 1966 squad were sent to labour camps for going to a nightclub (thus being exposed to corrupt Western culture) after their win against Italy. One player had flu and didn’t go out. I’ll see if I can root out something on the net. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/6 "2010-08-02T21:47:00Z")
Here… [Euro 2020 - 2021: Betting guide, odds, tips and dates](http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/06/17/north-koreas-fairytale-in-the-1966-world-cup/) ---
**Author:** ![Xan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@Xan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fate-of-the-north-korean-soccer-team/548904/7 "2010-08-02T21:57:16Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > There was much speculation after North Korea’s loss in the World Cup about what would happen to the team after they went back home. Would they be imprisoned, sent to hard labor, or shot? [Time magazine reports:](http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/07/30/after-world-cup-humiliation-north-korean-team-is-publicly-shamed/) > > > [@](#): > > > > …the football players stood on a stage at the People’s Palace of Culture and were criticized in front of hundreds of people–for six hours! After being disparaged for failing in their “ideological struggle,” the team was also forced to blame their coach, Kim Jong-hun, for their loss. Jong-hun has reportedly already been punished by being expelled from the Workers’ Party of Korea and being forced to become builder. And somehow execution doesn’t seem so bad comparatively. 😃