The North Korean Footballer Who Disappeared

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  • Опубліковано 10 лют 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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    Music sourced from epidemicsound.com
    Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com
    #NorthKorea #SerieA #Football
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 158

  • @Tifo
    @Tifo  3 місяці тому +237

    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 3 місяці тому +456

    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

    • @MSeaNP
      @MSeaNP 3 місяці тому +9

      A platypus?

    • @blenderboy1900
      @blenderboy1900 3 місяці тому +8

      Blud thinks he's dr Heinz doofenshmirtz

    • @jesuscano9615
      @jesuscano9615 3 місяці тому +9

      @@MSeaNP PERRY THE PLATYPUS!?

  • @ManUtd-Gerrard
    @ManUtd-Gerrard 3 місяці тому +290

    I mean even Pogba disappeared...

    • @uncreative5766
      @uncreative5766 3 місяці тому +12

      I mean, at least Pogba won the World Cup.

    • @CVDX878
      @CVDX878 3 місяці тому +2

      I mean Pogba is broke...

  • @GodotOfficial
    @GodotOfficial 3 місяці тому +154

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

    • @zaw33mc24
      @zaw33mc24 3 місяці тому +10

      No only unfunny but also untrue

    • @ayubali2431
      @ayubali2431 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому

      Godot

  • @__dane__
    @__dane__ 3 місяці тому +26

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

  • @bobjones665
    @bobjones665 3 місяці тому +59

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

  • @anthonyjudeaggabao2302
    @anthonyjudeaggabao2302 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому +2

      obsession and full government support/funding

    • @ki_no735
      @ki_no735 3 місяці тому

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

  • @anthtan
    @anthtan 3 місяці тому +85

    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 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому +3

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

    • @anthtan
      @anthtan 3 місяці тому +3

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

    • @mnm1273
      @mnm1273 3 місяці тому +12

      @@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 3 місяці тому +15

      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 3 місяці тому +93

    5:36 TIFO casually making a Hydrogen Bomb pun 👀

    • @fredcat9080
      @fredcat9080 3 місяці тому +2

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

    • @AJ-dn6ej
      @AJ-dn6ej 3 місяці тому +3

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

    • @12thMandalorian
      @12thMandalorian 3 місяці тому +2

      @@AJ-dn6ej still a shocking decision

    • @rowanhulst7474
      @rowanhulst7474 3 місяці тому +1

      what about it?

    • @sregginetahi999
      @sregginetahi999 3 місяці тому +1

      What's the pun

  • @afc4life_uk
    @afc4life_uk 3 місяці тому +8

    Another great and enlightening video from Tifo 👏

  • @janhong411
    @janhong411 3 місяці тому +6

    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 3 місяці тому +8

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

  • @kami7g
    @kami7g 3 місяці тому +7

    He was so good on fifa 18 career mode

  • @morklee31
    @morklee31 3 місяці тому +85

    weird pronunciation of jong un

    • @ditik2795
      @ditik2795 3 місяці тому +4

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

    • @CR0SSJ
      @CR0SSJ 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому +8

      It sounded so German 😂

    • @ditik2795
      @ditik2795 3 місяці тому

      @@CR0SSJ fair enough, thought it was otherwise

    • @ldalle
      @ldalle 3 місяці тому +3

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

  • @davorz
    @davorz 3 місяці тому +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.

  • @SomeoneFromBeijing
    @SomeoneFromBeijing 3 місяці тому +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.

  • @GitaGhasemi
    @GitaGhasemi 3 місяці тому +6

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

  • @thabomoyane4683
    @thabomoyane4683 3 місяці тому +1

    I love your videos ❤

  • @jonnybyrne989
    @jonnybyrne989 3 місяці тому +6

    Disappeared is an interesting word to use

  • @DuragAllDay
    @DuragAllDay 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому +1

      Well said 🙏

    • @Gee305
      @Gee305 3 місяці тому +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 Місяць тому +1

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

    • @chamonix4658
      @chamonix4658 Місяць тому

      ​@@Gee305tell me who started the war

  • @matreimer
    @matreimer 3 місяці тому +4

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

  • @enderofruina2973
    @enderofruina2973 3 місяці тому +6

    That was depressing

  • @hiitdon8630
    @hiitdon8630 3 місяці тому +3

    What a story 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

  • @carr16k
    @carr16k 12 днів тому +1

    Erm, so as long as someone who doesn't have or provide update on their social media, and comes from North Korea, will be deemed as "gone missing". Why am I not surprised that I wasted 7 mins of my life watching a video that in the end appeared that nothing happened and is the case for most footballers and people.

  • @ilihyseni478
    @ilihyseni478 3 місяці тому +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!

  • @MAdDyMatt
    @MAdDyMatt 3 місяці тому +2

    I’m not surprised

  • @benpalmer7596
    @benpalmer7596 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому +11

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

    • @andrasszabo1570
      @andrasszabo1570 3 місяці тому +6

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

  • @AdamFitzJKD
    @AdamFitzJKD 2 місяці тому

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

  • @TheBigRedOutlaw
    @TheBigRedOutlaw 3 місяці тому +3

    JONG NOT YONG

  • @osmanbinomar7132
    @osmanbinomar7132 3 місяці тому +1

    Do pogba next

  • @Snookbone
    @Snookbone 3 місяці тому +3

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

    • @maxhanney4277
      @maxhanney4277 3 місяці тому

      lol

    • @kerengarcia1811
      @kerengarcia1811 3 місяці тому

      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 3 місяці тому +1

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

  • @__dane__
    @__dane__ 3 місяці тому +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 2 місяці тому

      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.

  • @abrahambautista3535
    @abrahambautista3535 3 місяці тому +6

    Gracias por poner la pista en Español

  • @uncreative5766
    @uncreative5766 3 місяці тому +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.'

  • @aashman_40k
    @aashman_40k 3 місяці тому +20

    bro pronounced Kim Jong Un like he's Dutch

  • @Flava2Sava1
    @Flava2Sava1 3 місяці тому

    Zeeland already made en video about him

  • @dezk9354
    @dezk9354 3 місяці тому

    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 3 місяці тому +1

    Mad one

  • @nicholass7563
    @nicholass7563 3 місяці тому

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

  • @zipiaro
    @zipiaro 3 місяці тому +1

    this is a bad take on critising North Korea

  • @daddymonyet
    @daddymonyet 3 місяці тому +2

    Kim “Jong” Un not impressed 😂

  • @meis
    @meis 2 місяці тому

    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.

  • @TheManWithNoName786
    @TheManWithNoName786 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому +2

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

  • @brandomcastor2951
    @brandomcastor2951 3 місяці тому +2

    They should play for lazio 😂

  • @jaygh8857
    @jaygh8857 3 місяці тому

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

  • @aliali-ce3yf
    @aliali-ce3yf 3 місяці тому +3

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

  • @Marg_Bar_Amrikkka
    @Marg_Bar_Amrikkka 3 місяці тому +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.

  • @radiuum
    @radiuum 3 місяці тому

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

    • @nikobellic570
      @nikobellic570 3 місяці тому

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

  • @Sportnerd95
    @Sportnerd95 3 місяці тому +1

    Kim Jong-il died in 2011 not 2010

  • @thomaskendell8146
    @thomaskendell8146 3 місяці тому

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

  • @benedictjajo
    @benedictjajo 3 місяці тому +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.

  • @bharatavarsha10k
    @bharatavarsha10k 3 місяці тому +1

    💀

  • @drumagus2258
    @drumagus2258 3 місяці тому +1

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

  • @PRCOM
    @PRCOM 3 місяці тому +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

  • @AliReza-do5my
    @AliReza-do5my 3 місяці тому +3

    I hate athletic for ruining the best football podcast for ever

  • @mdrazzad
    @mdrazzad 3 місяці тому +6

    90% political 10% football video.

    • @maxhanney4277
      @maxhanney4277 3 місяці тому +2

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

  • @Beeady
    @Beeady 3 місяці тому +5

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

    • @queenzoroark
      @queenzoroark 3 місяці тому

      The rarer W for NK.

    • @duyanhng8430
      @duyanhng8430 3 місяці тому +1

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

    • @queenzoroark
      @queenzoroark 3 місяці тому +1

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

    • @duyanhng8430
      @duyanhng8430 3 місяці тому

      @@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 3 місяці тому

      @@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.

  • @Finn_Lawless
    @Finn_Lawless 3 місяці тому +3

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

  • @kaileshcreation0911
    @kaileshcreation0911 3 місяці тому +1

    1st

  • @Thetreeoftre
    @Thetreeoftre 3 місяці тому

    First

  • @swordhunter1025
    @swordhunter1025 3 місяці тому

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

  • @CAPMAN666
    @CAPMAN666 3 місяці тому

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

  • @danpreston564
    @danpreston564 3 місяці тому +1

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

  • @cogknight7335
    @cogknight7335 3 місяці тому +3

    use correct map of India. Disappointed.

  • @shubhammsinha
    @shubhammsinha 3 місяці тому +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.

  • @DuragAllDay
    @DuragAllDay 3 місяці тому

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

  • @matthewstafford1529
    @matthewstafford1529 3 місяці тому +10

    49ers choked the super bowl

    • @DavidLimofLimReport
      @DavidLimofLimReport 3 місяці тому +4

      Wrong sport

    • @MCFCJake
      @MCFCJake 3 місяці тому +5

      What is that now? Never heard of that bowl

    • @5kilogramsofricin
      @5kilogramsofricin 3 місяці тому +1

      what's a polar bear doing in arlington texas

    • @listey
      @listey 3 місяці тому +2

      The tawny is a superb owl

  • @vliemek
    @vliemek 3 місяці тому +8

    Stealing Zealands video just like that sure is something

    • @DavidLimofLimReport
      @DavidLimofLimReport 3 місяці тому

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

    • @thargoff
      @thargoff 3 місяці тому +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 3 місяці тому

      They didn't steal anything. @@DavidLimofLimReport

  • @niskn5530
    @niskn5530 3 місяці тому

    Such a nothing burger, this video

  • @zaqsmith6155
    @zaqsmith6155 3 місяці тому

    Copying Zealand

  • @HellcatRedeyeV8
    @HellcatRedeyeV8 3 місяці тому +5

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

    • @Reddevil863
      @Reddevil863 3 місяці тому

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

    • @NaplesFC
      @NaplesFC 3 місяці тому

      Rest of the world ​@@Reddevil863

  • @illyrian44
    @illyrian44 3 місяці тому +1

    Kosovo is a country

  • @oliverhughes610
    @oliverhughes610 3 місяці тому +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'.

  • @nikoabian8930
    @nikoabian8930 3 місяці тому +3

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

    • @andreitv9921
      @andreitv9921 3 місяці тому +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 2 місяці тому

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