Inside the world’s most secretive soccer team

CNN —

What happens within North Korea’s soccer team has been kept a closely guarded secret since its creation at the end of World War II.

Millions around the world caught a glimpse of the North Korean men’s team in two World Cups. The Cheollima – a mythical winged horse found in East Asian mythology and featured prominently in North Korean society – beat Italy 1-0 in a stunning performance in Middlesbrough, England, in 1966.

However, the team’s appearance at the 2010 tournament in South Africa was far less successful, as the team lost all three of its matches, including a 7-0 shellacking by Portugal.

But much like the reclusive nation itself, the team in recent years has fallen back into the shadows. Now in an exclusive interview with CNN Sport, retired North Korean midfielder An Yong Hak, who lives in Japan, has revealed what it’s like to play for the team.

The secrecy surrounding the North Korean national team was also evident in the case of star player Han Kwang Song.

At his peak, Han was on the roster of Italian giant Juventus and featured in its U-23 side, but then he vanished from the public eye for more than three years. He had been last spotted lifting a trophy with his most recent team, Qatari club Al-Duhail, in 2020 as UN Security Council resolutions later forced the repatriation of all North Korean workers abroad.

But that rapid change of fortune – from playing in top divisions in Italy and Qatar to being stuck at an embassy for the better part of three years – did not cause the striker to consider quitting soccer.

Almost out of nowhere, Han publicly reappeared last November with North Korea for its World Cup qualifiers, scoring a header in a 6-1 drubbing of Myanmar.

Retired North Korean midfielder An,