The U.S.-financed Radio Free Asia reported that North Korea players were forced to reprimand their coach, Kim Jong Hun, at the end of a six-hour meeting at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang on July 2 to review the team's three losses at the World Cup.

The Korean players had to stand on stage for the review and were accused of “betraying the trust” of Kim Jong Un, the son of leader Kim Jong Il.

The meeting was chaired by Sports Minister Pak Myong Chol and attended by some 400 government officials and athletes. Absent from the meeting were Japanese-bred players Jong Tae Se and An Yong Hak.