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S.Korea picks World Cup cities, door still open for Pyongyang

SEOUL, Dec 29 (AFP) -South Korea said Monday it had picked 10 cities to host the 2002 World Cup finals which it is sharing with Japan, but that the door remained open for North Korea to hold some matches.

“We had invited North Korea to participate with us in the World Cup, but we have not yet received anything official from them. And so we can’t unilaterally include them,” said a statement by the 2002 World Cup Committee in Seoul.

But if North Korea decides to participate, then “we can at least let them stage one match,” it said.

In a dramatic change in FIFA’s position, president Joao Havelange said last month he would try to visit North Korea next year to offer the Stalinist country stage the chance to hold some matches.

Havelange also promised to invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and the next South Korean president to next year’s World Cup opening ceremonies in France.

But FIFA has not yet had a reply from Pyongyang.

FIFA had earlier said it would be difficult to allow games in North Korea before the unification of the Korean peninsula.

However, South Korea’s Football Association president Chung Mong-Joon has pushed North Korea’s possible participation since South Korea and Japan were named last year to hold the first-ever co-hosted World Cup.

The 2002 World Cup Committee said it had chosen Seoul, Pusan, Taegu, Kwangju, Ulsan, Taejon, Inchon, Suwon, Chonju and Sogwipo in Cheju Island.

However, the committee said had yet to make a final decision on Seoul, which had not yet submitted its game facility construction plans, and seek approval from FIFA by February 1.

Japan will host half the matches.