Kang Ryong-woon

Kang Ryong-woon (25 April 1942 – before 2002) was a North Korean football forward who played for national team in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Rodongja Sports Club.

Early life Kang was born on 25 April 1942 in what became North Korea. A forward, he played at the club level for Rodongja Sports Club in North Korea's top league. In 1962, Kang 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. 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.

Kang was ultimately chosen as one of 22 players for the World Cup team. By the time of the World Cup, he had appeared for the national team 38 times, according to the Evening Telegraph. Projected as having little chance of success, the team lost their first match, 3–0 against the Soviet Union, before tying Chile 1–1. After Chile, the team then played against heavily-favored Italy to determine the qualifier to the next round. In a massive upset, North Korea won 1–0 on a goal by Pak Doo-ik. 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. In 2002, the surviving members of the 1966 North Korean World Cup team were interviewed for the documentary film The Game of Their Lives; Kang was deceased by this time.