| Oh Yoon-kyung | |
| Birth Date: | 6 August 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Korea, Empire of Japan |
| Death Date: | before 2002 |
| Height: | 172 cm |
| Position: | Defender / midfielder |
| Clubs1: | 8 August |
| Nationalyears1: | 1962–after 1966 |
| Nationalteam1: | North Korea |
| Nationalcaps1: | 58+ |
| Hangul: | 오윤경 |
| Rr: | O Yun-gyeong |
| Mr: | O Yun'gyŏng |
| Context: | north |
Oh Yoon-kyung (6 August 1941 – before 2002) was a North Korean football defender and midfielder who played for the national team in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He also played for the 8 August Sports Club.
Oh was born on 6 August 1941 in Korea, Empire of Japan, in what became North Korea.[1] In the domestic ranks, he played for the 8 August Sports Club in North Korea's top league.[1] During his playing career, his height was 172 cm (5 ft 8 in).[2]
In 1957, the North Korea national football team was re-organized with the goal of competing at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.[3] In 1962, Oh was chosen as one of the best 40 players from the North Korean leagues, whose membership reportedly consisted of over 250,000, to be considered for the national team.[4] [5] The 40 players were enlisted into the Army as military officers, under the leadership of colonel and coach Myung Rye-hyun, and went under strict training for the next four years in preparation for the cup.[3] [4] Oh and the others trained twice a day starting at 6:00 a.m. and were under other restrictions which included being unmarried, no smoking, no drinking, and (for the last six months) being in bed by 10:00 p.m.[4]
In early 1965, the North Korean leagues were suspended to allow the roster to focus solely on the task of making the World Cup.[4] Oh and the rest of the players gained experience by playing a number of international matches against nations including North Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and China.[5] The team competed at that year's Games of Emerging New Forces (GANEFO) and went undefeated, with a 3–1 win over China in the finals.[5] Later in 1965, they played at the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification and defeated Australia to become the sole qualifier from the African, Asian and Oceanic zone.[6]
Oh, a midfielder and defender, was ultimately chosen as one of 22 players for the World Cup team.[2] [7] By that time, he had been capped for the national team a total of 55 times, according to the Evening Telegraph, although the Sunday Mirror reported it to be 102 caps.[4] [7] At the World Cup, the North Korean team played their home games at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough, England, as part of the Group 4 in the tournament which included the Soviet Union, Chile and Italy.[8] Projected as having little chance of success, the team lost their first match, 3–0 against the Soviet Union, before tying Chile 1–1.[8] Oh was inactive for the first game against the Soviet Union but started against Chile and played all 90 minutes.[2] The team then played against heavily-favored Italy to determine the qualifier to the next round.[9] The Guardian noted that despite how heavily favored Italy was, "Shin Yung Kyoo, Ha Jung Won and Oh Yoon Kyung were the equals of Mazzola, Perani and Barison."[10] In a massive upset, North Korea won 1–0 on a goal by Pak Doo-ik.[8] [9] They eventually lost 5–3 in the quarterfinals to Portugal.[8] Oh appeared in the last three games of the tournament for North Korea, starting each while playing all 270 minutes in those games.[2]
For the team's performance at the World Cup, all the players were given the honor of Merited Athlete.[11] Oh, however, was one of three – along with Pak Do-ik and Shin Yung-kyoo – to be given the honor of People's Athlete, the most prestigious title awarded to North Korean athletes.[11] After the World Cup, it was rumored that the North Korean squad was imprisoned for celebrating the win over Italy in a bar; however, when interviewed in 2002, several players denied this.[12] [13]
In 2002, the surviving members of the 1966 North Korean World Cup team were interviewed for the documentary film The Game of Their Lives; Oh was deceased by this time.[14]