Lee Kang-In: North Korea Blurs out PSG Player Competing at Club World Cup
- Paris Saint-Germain's game against Atlético Madrid at the Club World Cup was shown four days later in North Korea
- The national broadcaster also blurred out the moment one of the PSG players scored in the 4-0 rout at the Rose Bowl
- North Korea, under Kim Jong Un, follow different protocols when it comes to sports viewing, with three Premier League teams banned
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FIFA Club World Cup viewers in North Korea missed Lee Kang-In's goal against Atletico Madrid at the start of the tournament.
Source: Getty Images
Who is Lee Kang-in?
Kang-in is a South Korean footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain. Born in Incheon, he came through Valencia's academy after short spells with clubs in his home country.
He played for the Valencia B side before being promoted to the senior team in 2018. He was sold to another La Liga side, Mallorca, before PSG came calling in 2023.
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PSG vs Atletico Madrid
Kang-in was on target for PSG in their heavy 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in their opening game of the tournament.
It was the first game Luis Enrique's team competed in since they thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 to win their first Champions League title.
Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia assist. The Georgian was once again the provider just before halftime for Vitinha to double the lead.
Senny Mayulu scored in the 87th minute before Kang-in got into the fun in stoppage time, nicking away a spot-kick after a handball from Robin Le Normand.
Why Lee Kang-In's goal was blurred in North Korea
Miles away in North Korea, fans didn't see Kang-In's goal as Pyongyang’s Korean Central Television (KCTV) blurred out the moment.
North Korea heavily controls outside information, with state broadcasters controlling the narrative.
As KoreaJoongAng Daily reports, the PSG vs Atletico Madrid game was also aired five days later, after it had happened.
KCTV blurred out Kang-In's number and face as they explained PSG had won the game without mentioning who had scored.
The national broadcaster often ensures that they do not highlight South Korean athletes in its programs.
Kim Jong-Un bans fans from watching 3 teams
The station shows Premier League games, but not the ones featuring leading South Korean stars, such as Tottenham's Heung-Min Son, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan and Brentford's Kim Joo
North Koreans watch a fraction of 380 Premier League games in a season and they are edited to 60 minutes. Only 21 matches from the 2023/24 season were shown on KCTV.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, KCTV showed a pixelated flag of South Korea four months later and called South Korea's U-17 women's team a 'puppet South Korean team.'
Lee Kang-In stats
The 24-year-old is one of the fringe players on Enrique's side as João Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha are the first-choice starters in midfield.
He also can't get a look-in upfront as Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Kvaratskhelia are Enrique's go-to with Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos waiting on the sidelines.
He has therefore been limited to 47 appearances, where he only started slightly less than half of those games, as captured on Transfermarkt. He chipped in with seven goals and provided six assists in PSG's treble-winning campaign.
PSG at the FIFA Club World Cup
After demolishing Diego Simeone's side, PSG fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat to South American side Botafogo. The European champions, however, recovered to beat Seattle Sounders in their last group game to qualify for the Round of 16 as group winners.
Source: Getty Images
Why are dogs wearing crocs at Club World Cup?
In a related report, sniffer dogs were spotted wearing crocs at the Club World Cup in the United States.
The players have been forced to deal with extreme heat conditions at the tournament, and the dogs haven't been spared either.
There have been delays and interruptions, with the threat of thunderstorms also causing a problem for the organisers and players.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
