On the 20th (local time), the opening match of the 2022 Qatar World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador was held at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar. Players are playing the match while Ecuador fans wearing yellow clothes are watching. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] North Korea broadcast part of the opening match of the Qatar World Cup between Qatar and Ecuador on TV.
On the 21st, Korean Central TV reported, "The FIFA 2022 World Cup tournament opened on the 20th in Qatar." The Central TV edited and showed about 2 to 3 minutes of highlight footage of the match.
On the same day, the Korean Central News Agency also reported on the Qatar World Cup opening ceremony, stating, "As the tournament's theme song resounded, the official symbols of the tournament appeared." However, it did not mention that BTS member Jungkook performed the official soundtrack "Dreamers" at the opening ceremony.
Meanwhile, North Korea withdrew from the World Cup qualifiers midway. North Korea participated in the second round of qualifiers for the Qatar World Cup, which began in September 2019, and faced the South Korean national team in Pyongyang on October 15 of that year. However, in April of the following year, it sent an official letter to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) stating that it would forfeit the remaining matches due to concerns over COVID-19.
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