环球英语 — 349： More Than a Football Game
Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Ruby Jones,
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And I'm Joshua Leo. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Welcome to this very special football game. The two teams are on the field and are getting ready. This is a hugely important game. The winner of this game could win a place in the 2010 World Cup. But the two teams are also playing for their countries' honour. This is north against south - North Korea against South Korea. This is more than a football game. This is a chance for each country to beat their nearest neighbour. Now the teams are ready. The referee is going to start the game.
Voice 1
On April 1, 2009 North Korea and South Korea met on the football field. It was an important game for the teams. But the game was also important for political reasons. In today's programme, we talk about why the game was so important. We examine the history and current state of the relationship between North and South Korea. And we discuss how the football match was a perfect example of just how complex that relationship is.
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North and South Korea are similar in many ways. They share much of their history. The people who live in the two countries are from the same ethnic group. The two countries are also about the same size. They share the same piece of land in East Asia - the Korean peninsula.
Voice 1
But this area of land was divided just over fifty [50] years ago. During the Second World War Korea had been occupied by the Japanese. At the end of the war the United States and Russia freed Korea. They divided power in the country between them. Russia supported the North, while the United States supported the South. The plan was to establish a united Korea, then leave. But Russia and the United States had very different ways of governing. The North and South developed very differently.
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Neither part of Korea wanted to lose power to join a united Korea. And, in 1950 war started. The war killed millions of people. After three years it stopped. However, the two parts of Korea have never officially made peace.
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Today the differences between the North and South are great. The countries' two governments are very different. South Korea has an open democracy. It is one of the richest countries in Asia. Over the past fifty [50] years it has produced some of the most advanced technology in the world.
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North Korea does not have a true democracy or strong economy. The country is controlled by its leader Kim Jong-Il. His image appears all over North Korea. Everyone in North Korea is taught to love and respect him. They cannot vote for anyone else. The government often treats its citizens badly. It does not give them personal freedom. The state also controls people's access to news from outside North Korea.
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In recent years it had seemed that the two Koreas were becoming closer. In 2007 the leaders of the two countries met. They talked about how the two countries could work together. They even talked about uniting the two countries again.
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But since then, things have changed. South Korea has a new leader and North Korea has continued to develop new weapons. At the time of the recent football game, the relationship between North and South Korea was particularly bad. This is because North Korea was planning to launch a new rocket. They said it was part of their space programme - that they were trying to put a rocket into space. However, many other governments did not believe them. They claimed that North Korea was really testing a powerful weapon. They believed that this weapon threatened the safety of many nearby countries.
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North Korea launched the rocket in early April 2009. But it did not reach space. It failed and fell into the Pacific Ocean. However, North Korean news reported that the rocket was a success. They said it was orbiting the earth.
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There is only three minutes left of the game. The score remains nil-nil - North Korea zero South Korea zero. If any team scores a goal now it could be the winner... Now South Korea have a free kick. It looks like Kim Chi-Woo will take it. He steps forward and ... it is in! South Korea have scored. South Korea lead by one goal to zero...
That is the end of the game. It has ended one zero to South Korea. South Korea have beaten their nearest neighbours.
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The North Korean football team manager was not happy with the result. After the game, he spoke to news reporters. He said that the South Koreans had poisoned two of his players.
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‘This game should have been cancelled. Jong Tae Se and Ri Myung Guk should not have played. They became sick after eating at the hotel. And the South Koreans provided this hotel!'
Voice 1
The South Korean authorities denied poisoning the players. But the incident showed how little trust there was between the two countries. The poor relationship was already clear before the game. North Korea was supposed to hold the game in their country. But instead, the teams played the game in China. This is because the North Koreans would not let the South Koreans sing their national anthem before the game. This is what national football teams usually do at every football game.
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Park Ji Sung is South Korea's leading player, the captain. He told reporters what it was like playing against North Korea.
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‘We speak the same language and we look the same. So it is always special to play against North Korea. This is true even when we play in China. I hope one day we can play in North Korea.'
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In June, both teams will play their remaining World Cup qualifier games. If they do well in these games they will both win a place in the World Cup. So, the two football teams could share victory. But it may take much longer for their two governments to share success together.
