The North Korean Footballer Who Disappeared

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  • čas přidán 10. 02. 2024
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    North Korea’s first international star, Han Kwang-song, was the first North Korean to score in Serie A, but in 2020 he disappeared. He disappeared for three and a half years.
    Last seen playing for North Korea in a World Cup qualifier in Saudi Arabia, what happened to him? Where did he go? Why did he disappear?
    James Montague explains, Craig Silcock illustrates.
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    #NorthKorea #SerieA #Football
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Komentáře • 157

  • @Tifo
    @Tifo  Před 3 měsíci +234

    Thanks to those who pointed it out. Yes, we've used an old map here that incorrectly shows the territories of Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. Apologies for that, we'll find out how that happened.
    Have a good week everyone, Tifo.

  • @jesuscano9615
    @jesuscano9615 Před 3 měsíci +450

    If I had a nickel for every time North Korean players got interest from major Italian football clubs, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

  • @ManUtd_Gerrard
    @ManUtd_Gerrard Před 3 měsíci +286

    I mean even Pogba disappeared...

    • @uncreative5766
      @uncreative5766 Před 3 měsíci +12

      I mean, at least Pogba won the World Cup.

    • @CVDX878
      @CVDX878 Před 3 měsíci +2

      I mean Pogba is broke...

  • @__dane__
    @__dane__ Před 3 měsíci +26

    So he disappeared for three years (during Covid)… which is honestly an apt description of most of our lives 😅

  • @GodotOfficial
    @GodotOfficial Před 3 měsíci +151

    That’s nothing, Moises Caicedo has been missing ever since he moved to London

    • @zaw33mc24
      @zaw33mc24 Před 3 měsíci +10

      No only unfunny but also untrue

    • @ayubali2431
      @ayubali2431 Před 3 měsíci +13

      You definitely haven't watched any Chelsea games this season and it shows, he is a silent warrior on the pitch and the Caicedo - Enzo midfield pivot has been monumental for many link up play and attacking football.

    • @CanadaMudkip
      @CanadaMudkip Před 2 měsíci

      Godot

  • @bobjones665
    @bobjones665 Před 3 měsíci +59

    This guy was a goat for me in fifa 18 career mode

  • @anthonyjudeaggabao2302
    @anthonyjudeaggabao2302 Před 3 měsíci +48

    Someone has to look into that academy NoKor has set up cause getting 2 players signed by serie a clubs is a good enough achievement considering that academies in the AFC aren’t well known especially in the top 5 leagues in europe.
    Couple that with good showings by both men’s and women’s teams after a lengthy suspension and you really wonder how on earth did NoKor got back on track this quickly.

    • @bguerra4
      @bguerra4 Před 2 měsíci +2

      obsession and full government support/funding

    • @ki_no735
      @ki_no735 Před 2 měsíci

      Bookmark this, in a few years it’ll come out that all DPRK athletes are on PEDs

  • @anthtan
    @anthtan Před 3 měsíci +83

    I'm not sure if it's correct to say that Han Kwang-song is the first international star for North Korea. That honour probably goes to Jong Tae-se. You probably remember him for his open display of emotions in the 2010 World Cup when the North Korean anthem was being played. In his career, he played in Japan, Germany and South Korea. To this day, he appears in South Korean reality/variety shows. He showcases his football skills. Politics is not discussed.

    • @mnm1273
      @mnm1273 Před 3 měsíci +8

      He played a total of 5 games in the top German league. He was an international player, but star is really a stretch.

    • @mnm1273
      @mnm1273 Před 3 měsíci +3

      @@cass2239 Multiple North Korean players have Match Attax cards related to the world cup

    • @anthtan
      @anthtan Před 3 měsíci +3

      @@mnm1273 Then would you say the term "star" more or less apt for Han Kwang-song?

    • @mnm1273
      @mnm1273 Před 3 měsíci +11

      @@anthtan He has twice the appearances in a top 5 league and did it before he turned 20. He clearly showed the skill level to play consistently for a top division team, which is why he was recruited by Juventus. Doing the same thing at 20 is more impressive than doing it at 27, and it brings more attention.
      He was on pace to be a star, although I will say his career being cut short doesn't help his case.

    • @GreenHornet553
      @GreenHornet553 Před 3 měsíci +14

      Tae-se Jong is a Zainichi Korean. He was born in Japan and has a South Korean passport, despite representing the DPRK internationally because of his mother claiming North Korean citizenship. He has no ties to North Korea directly outside of his mother being a North Korean citizen among the Zainichi Korean population. Kwang-son Han is the first ever homegrown talent from North Korea that was born in the DPRK to be a talented enough player to attract the attention of clubs like Juventus and Liverpool ever to come out of the hermit kingdom. No player from the DPRK directly has had the kind of hype surrounding them other than Han.

  • @12thMandalorian
    @12thMandalorian Před 3 měsíci +93

    5:36 TIFO casually making a Hydrogen Bomb pun 👀

    • @fredcat9080
      @fredcat9080 Před 3 měsíci +2

      I did wonder why I hadn’t seen more reports about nuclear fall out.

    • @AJ-dn6ej
      @AJ-dn6ej Před 3 měsíci +3

      shy didn't pete run the damn ball against the patriots in 2015? smh

    • @12thMandalorian
      @12thMandalorian Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@AJ-dn6ej still a shocking decision

    • @rowanhulst7474
      @rowanhulst7474 Před 3 měsíci +1

      what about it?

    • @sregginetahi999
      @sregginetahi999 Před 2 měsíci +1

      What's the pun

  • @afc4life_uk
    @afc4life_uk Před 3 měsíci +8

    Another great and enlightening video from Tifo 👏

  • @davorz
    @davorz Před 2 měsíci +3

    Nice video, but prior to be in Italy, those korean players were send to a football academy in Barcelona. They went to Italy from there.

  • @janhong411
    @janhong411 Před 2 měsíci +5

    Aside from Han, the other highly profiled NK player should be Pak Kwang-ryong. Not many know about Pak because he hasn't reached the high levels Han did but Pak played in Austria and Switzerland and had played there for about a decade. He was also the first North Korean to appear in the Champions League. Being able to form a decade long career in Europe should be discussed about more with no discredit to Han. Both Pak and Han are phenomenal.

  • @mozaal-thani3178
    @mozaal-thani3178 Před 3 měsíci +8

    we want a video on the controversy of the asian cup 2024 final!! qatar vs jordan!!

  • @SomeoneFromBeijing
    @SomeoneFromBeijing Před 3 měsíci +22

    Chinese here. We do have some medicines that might sound weird to you, but some of them actually work. But throughout my whole life, I have never heard of anything that cures people after a lightning strike.

  • @benpalmer7596
    @benpalmer7596 Před 3 měsíci +27

    Not Yong-Un, Jong-Un. 김정은, "ㅈ" is a "J" sound. Not Joo-sha, Joo-chay. 주체, "ㅊ" is a ch sound, ㅔ is an "eh" sound. Not Pak-tu, Pek-too. The ㅐ in Paek (백) is also pronounced like "eh". It's the legendary mountain on the korean peninsula which is thought to be the origin of the Korean people in mythology. Finally, for Han Kwang-Song, the "a" in Kwang, ㅏ, is like "ah", not "ey". There's a couple other errors but those were the most common. Damn, lol

    • @listey
      @listey Před 3 měsíci +11

      We've weeded out the North Korean in the comments. Job done, lads.

    • @andrasszabo1570
      @andrasszabo1570 Před 3 měsíci +6

      ​@@listeyyou realise that of the ~82 million people who speak Korean, less than third is from the North?

  • @kami7g
    @kami7g Před 3 měsíci +6

    He was so good on fifa 18 career mode

  • @ilihyseni478
    @ilihyseni478 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Maybe it’s not a priority but the map used at around 1:12 seemed to be out of date. For example: no Kosovo or South Sudan. Maybe it’s super pedantic but you guys are so thorough so might be one to remember for future animations!

  • @morklee31
    @morklee31 Před 3 měsíci +85

    weird pronunciation of jong un

    • @ditik2795
      @ditik2795 Před 3 měsíci +4

      Only place where j is pronounced jay and not as a y is in english-speaking countires..

    • @CR0SSJ
      @CR0SSJ Před 3 měsíci +37

      ​@@ditik2795Well today you learn. Koreans use J to represent a "Jay" pronunciation and not a y "why". Also many Asian countries do the same.

    • @Heelo_0
      @Heelo_0 Před 3 měsíci +8

      It sounded so German 😂

    • @ditik2795
      @ditik2795 Před 3 měsíci

      @@CR0SSJ fair enough, thought it was otherwise

    • @ldalle
      @ldalle Před 3 měsíci +3

      ⁠@@ditik2795 portuguese also does not pronounce it like y.

  • @GitaGhasemi
    @GitaGhasemi Před 2 měsíci +6

    I felt bad for him that he had to return to North Korea

  • @DuragAllDay
    @DuragAllDay Před 3 měsíci +6

    2:02 if you're going to mention politics, the sanctions on Korea by the West led by America should be contrasted with the capital invested in South Korea by the same countries.

    • @KareemPilot
      @KareemPilot Před 3 měsíci +1

      Well said 🙏

    • @Gee305
      @Gee305 Před 3 měsíci +5

      Also, I love how Tifo casually includes the mass slaughter of 4 million Pyongyang civilians by the USA in the Korean War, then continues to talk about North Korean oppression…

    • @chamonix4658
      @chamonix4658 Před měsícem +1

      yeah turns out not being an enemy of the west leads to good things duh

    • @chamonix4658
      @chamonix4658 Před měsícem

      ​@@Gee305tell me who started the war

  • @thabomoyane4683
    @thabomoyane4683 Před 2 měsíci +1

    I love your videos ❤

  • @jonnybyrne989
    @jonnybyrne989 Před 3 měsíci +6

    Disappeared is an interesting word to use

  • @matreimer
    @matreimer Před 3 měsíci +4

    Kim Jong Un is pronounced with a J sound not a Y sound, it's Korean not Swedish.

  • @hiitdon8630
    @hiitdon8630 Před 3 měsíci +3

    What a story 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

  • @enderofruina2973
    @enderofruina2973 Před 3 měsíci +6

    That was depressing

  • @AdamFitzJKD
    @AdamFitzJKD Před měsícem

    The tory voice of joe devine talks about a missing footballer who is not actually missing

  • @__dane__
    @__dane__ Před 3 měsíci +7

    Technically North Korea was not established with the 38th parallel as a border before the Korean War. The 38th parallel is the armistice line that was created at the “end” of the conflict.

    • @simon6556
      @simon6556 Před 2 měsíci

      actually i think this is not correct. the armistice line is like a wavy line, but since the 38th parallel is like a straight latitude line, it was used as the point by which korea would be split into north and south by 2 US generals at the end of WW2, whereas the armistice line was created in 1953 after agreement between North Korean/Chinese forces and UN forces to end active conflict between both sides, AKA to just end the Korean War. The armistice line was based on the actual front line of the war at that point in time, so they basically just decided 'ok let's just agree to end things like this'. i know it's maybe pedantic but there is a difference between 38th parallel and armistice line.

  • @uncreative5766
    @uncreative5766 Před 3 měsíci +6

    You mispronounced Kim Jong Un's name. Jong is pronounced like 'Ken Jeong,' whereas the pronunciation in the video was 'Jong' as in 'Carl Jong.'

  • @Flava2Sava1
    @Flava2Sava1 Před 3 měsíci

    Zeeland already made en video about him

  • @TheBigRedOutlaw
    @TheBigRedOutlaw Před 2 měsíci +3

    JONG NOT YONG

  • @MAdDyMatt
    @MAdDyMatt Před 3 měsíci +2

    I’m not surprised

  • @osmanbinomar7132
    @osmanbinomar7132 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Do pogba next

  • @aashman_40k
    @aashman_40k Před 3 měsíci +20

    bro pronounced Kim Jong Un like he's Dutch

  • @abrahambautista3535
    @abrahambautista3535 Před 3 měsíci +6

    Gracias por poner la pista en Español

  • @Snookbone
    @Snookbone Před 3 měsíci +3

    "the world's most isolated and secretive country on earth"
    Does anyone proofread anymore?

    • @maxhanney4277
      @maxhanney4277 Před 3 měsíci

      lol

    • @kerengarcia1811
      @kerengarcia1811 Před 3 měsíci

      Are they not isolated? Do they use the internet or social media? I also don’t mean to be ignorant. Every time I hear about North Korean news it’s always about the dictator

    • @listey
      @listey Před 2 měsíci +1

      Yep it's very silly. There are many more isolated countries.

  • @nicholass7563
    @nicholass7563 Před 2 měsíci

    So everyone was struck by lightening. There’s also a cure for strikes ???

  • @dezk9354
    @dezk9354 Před 2 měsíci

    I made a football manager save with a team in South Korea, signed this guy on a tree and guy was putting away thirty a season and became the goat in Asia. A North Korean dominating the South Korean league hahaha

  • @Gavinkeenan1
    @Gavinkeenan1 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Mad one

  • @zipiaro
    @zipiaro Před 2 měsíci +1

    this is a bad take on critising North Korea

  • @TheManWithNoName786
    @TheManWithNoName786 Před 3 měsíci +1

    So after all that you still didn't explain what he was doing for 3 years. Almost like you built this up and then quickly glossed over the important bit. Where was he for 3 years, what was he doing, how is match ready so quickly? All ignored. Jeez

    • @matafaka2060
      @matafaka2060 Před 3 měsíci +2

      thats because nobody knew what happened or if anything happened to him

  • @aliali-ce3yf
    @aliali-ce3yf Před 3 měsíci +3

    that would be a great kdrama , they can get Go-Ara to star as the female love interest

  • @meis
    @meis Před 2 měsíci

    Han Kwang-song is probably having a better life than half of the viewers here. You too would like to be a 'national treasure' of your country. Just saying.

  • @radiuum
    @radiuum Před 3 měsíci

    He’s back for only few national matches and then he’ll be probably jailed again🤷🏻‍♂️

    • @nikobellic570
      @nikobellic570 Před 3 měsíci

      Why? What has he done to upset the NK regime?

  • @brandomcastor2951
    @brandomcastor2951 Před 3 měsíci +2

    They should play for lazio 😂

  • @Marg_Bar_Amrikkka
    @Marg_Bar_Amrikkka Před 3 měsíci +6

    Spoiler alert ! He got unjustly sanctioned by European authorities, just like his home country cuz they dared to resist imperialism hence why Korea is currently divided into two states.

  • @daddymonyet
    @daddymonyet Před 3 měsíci +2

    Kim “Jong” Un not impressed 😂

  • @Beeady
    @Beeady Před 3 měsíci +5

    Say what you want, but establishing a country wide scouting network that quickly and efficiently is good governance

    • @queenzoroark
      @queenzoroark Před 3 měsíci

      The rarer W for NK.

    • @duyanhng8430
      @duyanhng8430 Před 3 měsíci +1

      if the people haven't revolt yet, something has to be right. Not saying all of it, but something

    • @queenzoroark
      @queenzoroark Před 3 měsíci +1

      @@duyanhng8430 They don't have the power to revolt

    • @duyanhng8430
      @duyanhng8430 Před 3 měsíci

      @@queenzoroark you'd be suprise at how little people has before many revolutions. Keeping the populations just a tad bit happy goes a long way

    • @noistivmuestiliv3300
      @noistivmuestiliv3300 Před 2 měsíci

      @@duyanhng8430 too unlikely for a revolt. Tell me, why do people revolt? If they are not satisfied with their lives? To be unhappy with your living conditions you need to know what "good life" means or how it is. We can probably think that North Koreans get from the government what's just enough for their survival. Add the government propaganda and lack of information to that, and the North Korean life is good enough for them.

  • @jaygh8857
    @jaygh8857 Před 3 měsíci

    "North Korea successfully tested a hydrogen bomb; the fallout was huge" honest coincidence or naughty pun? You decide...

  • @Sportnerd95
    @Sportnerd95 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Kim Jong-il died in 2011 not 2010

  • @shubhammsinha
    @shubhammsinha Před 3 měsíci +13

    Tifo, wherever you have got this map at 1:11, it needs to be changed. The Union Territory of Jammu and kashmir and UT of Ladakh are shown as parts of China. Please correct this.

  • @benedictjajo
    @benedictjajo Před 3 měsíci +5

    Are we sure that's the same guy? For all we know, he is already dead and they found someone who looks a lot like him and trained him to play like him.

  • @mdrazzad
    @mdrazzad Před 3 měsíci +6

    90% political 10% football video.

    • @maxhanney4277
      @maxhanney4277 Před 3 měsíci +2

      do you want them to go game by game in serie b and talk about his performances???

  • @PRCOM
    @PRCOM Před 3 měsíci +2

    I bet north Korea has a lot of talented footballers but because its ran by a dumb dictator we will never see their potential

  • @thomaskendell8146
    @thomaskendell8146 Před 2 měsíci

    I mean at least you used the right Syrian flag this time..

  • @bharatavarsha10k
    @bharatavarsha10k Před 3 měsíci +1

    💀

  • @drumagus2258
    @drumagus2258 Před 3 měsíci +1

    this fool sounds like he trying to get a job at CNN or Fox.

  • @AliReza-do5my
    @AliReza-do5my Před 3 měsíci +3

    I hate athletic for ruining the best football podcast for ever

  • @swordhunter1025
    @swordhunter1025 Před 2 měsíci

    its said how politics have ruined these playwrs careers... politics should stay out of football

  • @CAPMAN666
    @CAPMAN666 Před 2 měsíci

    I LIKE NORTH KOREA TEAM🇰🇵🇰🇵 I WANT NORTH KOREA IN WORLD CUP 2026🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊

  • @kaileshcreation0911
    @kaileshcreation0911 Před 3 měsíci +1

    1st

  • @Finn_Lawless
    @Finn_Lawless Před 3 měsíci +3

    Kim Jong-il died in late 2011, not in 2010.

  • @vliemek
    @vliemek Před 3 měsíci +8

    Stealing Zealands video just like that sure is something

    • @DavidLimofLimReport
      @DavidLimofLimReport Před 3 měsíci

      First they get rid of Joe, now they just steal content? Unsubscribed.

    • @thargoff
      @thargoff Před 3 měsíci +3

      I mean doing a video on a topic that is publicly available a few months after another youtuber did it, is hardly stealing, and I loved Zealand's video. Stealing would be if they copied it, but they did their own.
      Additionally, this video also explains and/or covers quite some different aspects of the situation and also covers what happened since then, because at the time of Zealand's video we didn't know what is up with Han Kwang-Song.
      Edit: Zealand's video was 11 months ago...

    • @thargoff
      @thargoff Před 3 měsíci

      They didn't steal anything. @@DavidLimofLimReport

  • @danpreston564
    @danpreston564 Před 3 měsíci +1

    'The worlds most secretive country on earth'
    Proof reading, people.

  • @cogknight7335
    @cogknight7335 Před 3 měsíci +3

    use correct map of India. Disappointed.

  • @oliverhughes610
    @oliverhughes610 Před 3 měsíci +3

    Please try to learn how to pronounce Korean words/names correctly for videos like these. It somewhat spoils the overall (high) quality of the video. Jong is pronounced with a soft 'g' sound, not a 'y' sound. Paektu/Baekdu is pronounced with an 'ay' sound as in 'yay'.

  • @Thetreeoftre
    @Thetreeoftre Před 3 měsíci

    First

  • @DuragAllDay
    @DuragAllDay Před 3 měsíci

    Deportation because of your government? Thanlfully Western nations aren't subjected to this treatment.

  • @matthewstafford1529
    @matthewstafford1529 Před 3 měsíci +10

    49ers choked the super bowl

  • @HellcatRedeyeV8
    @HellcatRedeyeV8 Před 3 měsíci +5

    The maps you used are incorrect, please use the updated maps and not a c0mmun1st approved map

    • @Reddevil863
      @Reddevil863 Před 3 měsíci

      Which map? I think he used the correct one of nk

    • @NaplesFC
      @NaplesFC Před 3 měsíci

      Rest of the world ​@@Reddevil863

  • @niskn5530
    @niskn5530 Před 3 měsíci

    Such a nothing burger, this video

  • @zaqsmith6155
    @zaqsmith6155 Před 3 měsíci

    Copying Zealand

  • @illyrian44
    @illyrian44 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Kosovo is a country

  • @nikoabian8930
    @nikoabian8930 Před 3 měsíci +3

    It’s really disappointing to see a channel I love push such juvenile propaganda

    • @andreitv9921
      @andreitv9921 Před 3 měsíci +6

      push what propaganda? he simply stated facts, North Korea had this player, nobody knew anything about him for 3 years and came back, no opinions mentioned

    • @tommy9565
      @tommy9565 Před 2 měsíci

      UN: “North Korea is a giant prison”
      Also UN: “Let’s ban all North Korean’s from working abroad”