As Zach notes:
Interestingly, however, the NoKos are far from the most insular team at this World Cup, with at least four players based in other countries. (Including a player for Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale, which sounds like an extremely entertaining, possibly fatal sex maneuver.)
Four players! That’s four more than England!
Read More: World Cup
by Brian Phillips · December 5, 2009
[Yes, I realize that David Beckham is based in the United States and/or Italy. But he wasn’t included in England’s most recent squad.]
And Jermaine Pennant, if he ever gets included.
Useful background from John Duerden’s story on the North Korea team in today’s Guardian:
* “The most famous stars in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s team are those born in the large expat community in Japan.”
* “Jong Tae-se is one of the biggest names in the J-League. The aggressive Kawasaki Frontale striker, who wants to play in Europe, is also loved in South Korea, the birthplace of his parents, and appears in television adverts alongside Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung.”
* Before North Korea lost to South Korea in April, Kim Jong-il attended training and “proposed the game’s tactics most relevant for the physiological characteristics of the Korean players.” After the match, the manager blamed the loss on the team’s having been poisoned in Seoul.