Im Shung-hwi

Im was born on 3 February 1946 in North Korea.{{Cite web|url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/63882/Seung_Hwi_Im.html|website=National-Football-Teams.com|title=Seung-Hwi Im}} A midfielder, he played for February 8 Sports Club in the DPR Korea Premier Football League, North Korea's top football league. He had a height of {{convert|1.64|m}} during his playing career.

In 1957, the North Korea national football team was re-organized with the goal of competing at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-guardian/147005175/|newspaper=The Guardian|via=Newspapers.com|date=January 6, 1966|page=10|title=England are hosts to the elite|author=Barham, Albert}} {{Open access}} In {{circa}} 1962, Im 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-telegraph/147005880/|newspaper=Evening Telegraph|via=Newspapers.com|date=May 21, 1966|page=32|title=No squad better prepared than North Korea}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-chronicle/147005724/|newspaper=Evening Chronicle|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 23, 1966|page=18|title=Wizard dribbler with strong shot}} {{Open access}} 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. Im and the others trained twice a day starting at 6:00 a.m. and were under other restrictions which included being unmarried, no smoking, no drinking, and (for the last six months) being in bed by 10:00 p.m.

In early 1965, the North Korean leagues were suspended to allow the roster to focus solely on the task of making the World Cup. Im and the rest of the players gained experience by playing a number of international matches against nations including North Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and China. The team competed at that year's Games of Emerging New Forces (GANEFO) and went undefeated, with a 3–1 win over China in the finals. Later in 1965, they played at the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification and defeated Australia to become the sole qualifier from the African, Asian and Oceanic zone.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/liverpool-daily-post-merseyside-ed/147007761/|newspaper=Liverpool Daily Post|via=Newspapers.com|date=July 8, 1966|page=18|title=Han Bong Jin–he dribbles like Garrincha, shoots like Charlton}} {{Open access}} Im scored a goal in one of the two games against Australia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tables/66qual.html|website=rssf.org|title=World Cup 1966 qualifications}}

Im was ultimately chosen as one of 22 players for the World Cup team.{{Cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/squads/42c4106c/1966/c1/Korea-DPR-Men-Stats-World-Cup|website=FBref.com|title=1966 Korea DPR Men Stats}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-mirror/147008114/|newspaper=Sunday Mirror|via=Newspapers.com|date=May 8, 1966|page=39|title=Meet The Twenty-Two Football Wizards From Pyongyang}} {{Open access}} By that time, he had been capped for the national team a total of 12 times, according to the Evening Telegraph, although the Sunday Mirror reported it to be 18 caps. At the World Cup, the North Korean team played their home games at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough, England, as part of Group 4 in the tournament which included the Soviet Union, Chile and Italy.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tees/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8739000/8739539.stm|publisher=BBC|title=When Middlesbrough hosted the 1966 World Cup Koreans |date=15 June 2010}} Im was considered one of the team's top players in the midfield, and The Guardian described the team's playing style as "basically 4-2-4, with Pak Seung Zin, who must have one of the hardest shots of any of the World Cup finalists, and Im Seung Hwi feeding the wings and creating openings down the middle for Pak Doo Ik."{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/259540497/?match=1&terms=im%20seung-hwi|newspaper=The Guardian|via=Newspapers.com|date=July 22, 1966|page=7|title=North Korea|author=Lacey, David|url-access=subscription}} The North Koreans, projected as having little chance of success, 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2002/oct/18/newsstory.sport|newspaper=The Guardian|title=North Korea in town to relive game of their lives|date=18 October 2002|author=White, Jim}} In a massive upset, North Korea won 1–0 on a goal by Pak Doo-ik. Im recorded an assist on Pak's goal, having headed the ball to him before he made the winning shot.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/821998549/?match=1&terms=im%20seung-hwi|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|via=Newspapers.com|date=July 20, 1966|page=10|title=10-man Italy bow to North Korea|author=Lowe, Dennis|url-access=subscription}} The team eventually lost 5–3 in the quarterfinals to Portugal; the North Koreans had opened the scoring with a goal by Pak Seung-zin in the first minute, with Im having made the assist.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/853001335/?match=1&terms=im%20seung-hwi|newspaper=Birmingham Evening Mail|via=Newspapers.com|date=July 23, 1966|page=15|title=N. Korea shoot into shock 3-0 lead|url-access=subscription}} Im ended the World Cup having appeared in all four matches, playing all 360 minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://fbref.com/en/players/0f6db37b/matchlogs/1966/Im-Seung-hwi-Match-Logs|website=FBref.com|title=Im Seung-hwi 1966 Match Logs}}

For the team's performance at the World Cup, all the players who appeared in a match were given the title of Merited Athlete, the second-highest honor for sportspeople in North Korea.{{Cite news |author=Chol-hwan, Kang |author-link=Kang Chol-hwan |date=4 March 2001 |title=수용소에서 만난 축구영웅 |url=https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2001/03/04/2001030470149.html |newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo |language=Korean}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/korea-boys-of-66-are-alive-and-kicking-9130281.html|newspaper=The Independent|title=Korea boys of '66 are alive and kicking|date=12 November 2001|author=Macleod, Calum}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jun-22-fg-noshow22-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|title=1966 World Cup Upstarts Absent but Not Forgotten|author=Demic, Barbara|date=22 June 2002}} In 2002, Im was interviewed as one of the seven surviving members of the 1966 North Korean team in the documentary The Game of Their Lives and visited Middlesbrough with his former teammates.

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{{North Korea squad 1966 FIFA World Cup}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Im, Shung-hwi}}

Category:1946 births

Category:Living people

Category:North Korean men's footballers

Category:North Korea men's international footballers

Category:Men's association football midfielders

Category:1966 FIFA World Cup players