South Korea 'poisoning' claim
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.South Korea has rejected claims by North Korea that it poisoned its players before last week's 2010 World Cup qualifier in Seoul, as tensions mounted over the North's long-range rocket launch on Sunday.
A North Korean statement on Sunday called the alleged poisoning "a product of [South Korean President] Lee Myung-bak's moves for confrontation with the DPRK [North Korea] and a deliberate behaviour bred by the unsavoury forces instigated by it". It also accused the match's Omani referee of bias, adding: "The match thus turned into a theatre of plot-breeding and swindling."
In Wednesday's Group Two qualifier, South Korea scored with three minutes remaining to win 1-0, with the visitors furious that Jong Tae-se's earlier header, which appeared to have crossed the line, was ruled out.
The Korea Football Association's president Cho Chung-yun, who is also a vice-president for football's world governing body Fifa, rejected the North's demands for an apology over the alleged poisoning and said no further action was needed.
"North Korea decided on everything, including accommodation, and we were never involved in the process," he told local media. "It's not a matter to investigate."
The North Korean statement came amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula surrounding Sunday's launch of a long-range rocket. South Korea's Foreign Minister, Yoo Myung-hwan, called the launch a "provocative act" that threatened peace and stability in the region. The move also prompted an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which had not agreed on a response yesterday.
South Korea lead their World Cup qualifying group on 11 points, followed by North Korea and Saudi Arabia on 10 points. The top two automatically qualify for South Africa 2010.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments