This article contains adult content that may be inappropriate for minors. Please confirm that you are 18 years or older to continue. This article contains images or details that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. Former Greenock Morton defender Erik Paartalu detailed the bizarre experience he had while playing in North Korea during a match for the AFC Cup, the Asian equivalent of the Europa League. The Australian player, who was representing Bengaluru FC from the Indian Super League at the time, recalled a series of unusual episodes, from arriving in the country to the moment of the match, including missile passes over the team's hotel. In statements to Suited and Booted TV, Paartalu described entering the country as "madness." The team had to stay overnight in China, as there were only two flights a week to North Korea. Upon arrival, the players' mobile phones and tablets were thoroughly inspected. "We landed and they literally started searching phones, tablets… I don’t know what codes they were using, nor did they ask us to unlock them; they just knew. They were trying to find material or other things. And, of course, we were in the group chat sharing memes of Kim Jong Un and Team America. Yes, we were scared thinking: 'We’re not going to get in here,'" the player recounted. The atmosphere at the airport was equally strange. "Before the whole team had gone through security, the airport started closing and the staff began to leave. At the airport, there was only our team bus and nothing else. Did they come to work just for us?" he questioned. The experience continued to be surreal during their stay. Paartalu mentioned that the city lights were sometimes not fully lit to prevent satellites from capturing images of what was happening in the country. During a training session, the team encountered about 10,000 people rehearsing a choreography for a festival in honor of the Supreme Leader, which would take place two months later. "When we finished training, three hours later, we returned and they were still there," he stated, adding that the guides accompanying them seemed to have undergone a "brainwashing." The match, held in the largest stadium in the world, had about 10,000 spectators, mostly school-aged children who sang throughout the game. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and Paartalu noted that the fans continued to applaud politely, "because they didn’t know why they were applauding." The most tense moment occurred after the game when the team was waiting for their departure. At that time, North Korea was conducting nuclear missile tests. "The hotel staff told us that if we had gone down at 6 AM, we would have seen the missile pass over the hotel towards Japan before falling into the water. We were just thinking: 'Get us out of this f****** country!'"
North Korea This Former Greenock Morton remains central to this story.
North Korea This Former Greenock Morton remains central to this story.
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