North Korea refuses entry to 6 journalists believed to be of South Korean and American descent
A Korean-Japanese reporter who applied to cover the Japanese national soccer team's 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup away game in Pyongyang was denied entry.
Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported on the 18th that "the Sankei Shimbun is the only Japanese media outlet that has not received permission to report from North Korea."
Japan will face North Korea in the second round of the Asia region qualifiers for the North Korea-Central America World Cup at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, on the 26th.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, a total of 26 reporters from Japan, Korea, and the United States applied to cover the North Korea expedition, but 6 of them were rejected.
At the Sankei Shimbun, reporter Kim Myeong-wook, a third-generation Korean resident in Japan, applied to report on an expedition to Pyongyang, but was denied entry. The rest are presumed to be Korean and American media.
Reporter Kim Myeong-wook said in a Yahoo Japan column on the 19th, “I was not informed of the reason why the coverage was rejected.”
He continued, “I prepared all the necessary documents,” and added, “No matter how much I think about it, I can’t see any reason other than the fact that I am a Korean citizen and hold a Korean passport.” At the same time, he said, “In addition to the Sankei Shimbun, Korean and American media cannot go to Pyongyang.” 19가이드03