North Korea showed an unprecedented recording of the 2002 World Cup opening match between France and Senegal, which took place at Seoul on May 31, on the night of June 1, according to the Associated Press, Sunday. AP quoted foreigners living in Pyongyang and said the match in which Senegal beat France 1:0 was shown on North Korean television one day after the actual game at 10:45pm on June 1. Foreign residents in Pyongyang said that North Korean viewers could see the advertisements within the Sangam Stadium and boards with Seoul written on them.

AP evaluated the broadcast as one that provided North Korean residents an opportunity to see "the wealth of the flourishing South" and said that at a time when the economy has failed, residents are starving, and the country relies on foreign aid, this is a very delicate issue for North Korean leaders.

North Korea, which is a closed society, very rarely broadcasts South Korean programs. It is especially unprecedented because North Korea has invited many foreigners to Pyongyang for the large-scale Arirang Festival, AP noted.

(Rhee Yong-sun, ysrhee@chosun.com )