Kang Ryong-woon
20th-century North Korean footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kang Ryong-woon (25 April 1942 – before 2002) was a North Korean football forward who played for national team in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Rodongja Sports Club.
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| |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25 April 1942 | ||
| Place of birth | Korea | ||
| Date of death | before 2002 | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Rodongja Sports Club | |||
| International career | |||
| c. 1962–after 1966 | North Korea | 39+ | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
Kang was born on 25 April 1942 in what became North Korea.[2] A forward, he played at the club level for Rodongja Sports Club in North Korea's top league.[2] During his playing career, he had a reported height of 167 centimetres (66 in).[2]
International career
In 1957, the North Korea national football team was re-organized with the goal of competing at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.[3] In c. 1962, Kang was chosen as one of the best 40 players from the North Korean leagues, whose membership reportedly consisted of over 250,000, to be considered for the national team.[4][5] The 40 players were enlisted into the Army as military officers, under the leadership of colonel and coach Myung Rye-hyun, and went under strict training for the next four years in preparation for the cup.[3][4] Kang and the others trained twice a day starting at 6:00 a.m. and were under other restrictions which included being unmarried, no smoking, no drinking, and (for the last six months) being in bed by 10:00 p.m.[4]
In early 1965, the North Korean leagues were suspended to allow the roster to focus solely on the task of making the World Cup.[4] Kang and the rest of the players gained experience by playing a number of international matches against nations including North Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and China.[5] The team competed at that year's Games of Emerging New Forces (GANEFO) and went undefeated, with a 3–1 win over China in the finals.[5] Later in 1965, they played at the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification and defeated Australia to become the sole qualifier from the African, Asian and Oceanic zone.[6]
Kang was ultimately chosen as one of 22 players for the World Cup team.[7][8] By the time of the World Cup, he had appeared for the national team 38 times, according to the Evening Telegraph.[4] At the World Cup, the North Korean team played their home games at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough, England, as part of Group 4 in the tournament which included the Soviet Union, Chile and Italy.[9] Projected as having little chance of success, the team lost their first match, 3–0 against the Soviet Union, before tying Chile 1–1.[9] Kang played all 90 minutes against the Soviet Union, but suffered a leg injury that left him inactive for the subsequent matches.[10][11] After Chile, the team then played against heavily-favored Italy to determine the qualifier to the next round.[12] In a massive upset, North Korea won 1–0 on a goal by Pak Doo-ik.[9][12] The team eventually lost 5–3 in the quarterfinals to Portugal.[9] Kang ended the World Cup with one appearance, playing 90 minutes.[7]
Later life
For the team's performance at the World Cup, all the players who appeared in a match were given the title of Merited Athlete, the second-highest honor for sportspeople in North Korea.[13] After the World Cup, it was rumored that the North Korean squad was imprisoned for celebrating the win over Italy in a bar; however, when interviewed in 2002, several players denied this.[14][15] In 2002, the surviving members of the 1966 North Korean World Cup team were interviewed for the documentary film The Game of Their Lives; Kang was deceased by this time.[13][16]
