Han Kwang Song: The North Korean striker that disappeared

Han Kwang Song became the first North Korean to score a goal in one of Europe's five major football leagues. The North Korean international played for Juventus before he joined Al-Duhail, and then he vanished from the world football scene in 2020, without a trace.

The young North Korean striker was on track for a successful career, but due to UN sanctions and strict Covid restrictions in his homeland, he flew to Rome, where he has not been seen again.

The UN sanctions aimed to repatriate all North Korean nationals working abroad amid concerns foreign money was being transferred over to support Kim Jong Un's military programs.

The Covid-19 pandemic led to North Korea fully sealing its borders, which made it impossible for Han and other North Koreans to return home. He flew out of Qatar in 2021 following UN sanctions but has vanished ever since.

Kwang Song was born in Pyongyang, North Korea in 1998. There is very little information regarding his childhood aside from his enrolment in the Pyongyang International Football School.

The Pyongyang International Football School was founded in accordance with Kim Jong Un's passion for football. Sports became a rare window to the outside world, in a country that is often hidden from the rest of the world.

Kim Jong Un used sports as an exercise in soft power, whitewashing the country's image while promoting values. Sports serve to unify individuals from different ethnicities and backgrounds.

During the 2018 Winter Olympics hosted in South Korea, the two nations marched together under the Korean unification flag in the opening ceremony!

"All sports are popular [in North Korea]. They followed the Olympics and soccer from around the world," shared former North Korean men's football coach, Jorn Andersen.

"There were some local TV channels - never live games - which would sometimes show European football during the week. Maybe one from the Bundesliga, one from La Liga, one from Italy, England... I think many watch," Andersen added during a CNN interview.

The Pyongyang International Football School sent out 30 students to Europe, where 14 went to Spain and 15 to Italy in order to learn from established football clubs. Han Kwang Song was the player that stood out the most in that group.

Han Kwang Song was used in a propaganda campaign to rebrand the country's image. Clips of Pyongyang citizens praising Han, turning him into one of North Korea's biggest success stories.

The young North Korean packed his bags in 2015 for Perugia, Italy. He was recruited by an Italian scouting center, the ISM Academy. Kwang Song relocated alongside fellow North Korean Choe Song Hyok.

The ISM Academy proudly shows Han on its website as the player who reached success in the world of professional football. North Koreans playing European football was unheard of.

Kwang Song joined Cagliari after impressing their under-19 coach Max Canzi. "I was kind of upset because we had an important match that Saturday," Canzi shared, originally refusing to see Kwang Song.

"He started training, and after 20 minutes, I looked at my assistant coach and said, 'Tell Mario he has to come out. We have a problem - he's very good."

The beauty of football lies in its simplicity, and the issues began when putting pen to paper. Beauricratic problems alongside sanctions made it a hard process to sign Kwang Song, nevertheless, he joined the team in 2017.

Kwang Song scored on his debut game, becoming the first North Korean player to score in one of Europe's five major leagues!

"Here in Cagliari, everybody loves me. I feel like I am at home," shared Han during a post-match interview in 2018.

The vecchia signora came knocking on Kwang Song's door and secured a $3.74m transfer for the North Korean international in 2020. This was a massive moment for Kwang Song, joining such a big club like Juventus.

"It has been a long way but finally I can say my dream came true after scoring my first goal in the Serie A and becoming the first North Korean to dress in such an important shirt as Juventus. My dream came true!" Han shared in a post.

His dream only lasted a week, after Juventus sold him to Al-Duhail, one of Qatar's top-five teams. The deal totaled around $7.7m according to UNSC.

Following the UN sanction after North Korea's nuclear testing, all individuals working abroad with North Korean passports were to be repatriated. Kwang Song was no exception.

Kwang Song played great football with Al-Duhail, but concerns regarding his bank account forced him to sign a document with the Qatari bank "to not transfer any money cost or amount to North Korea in any case."

A similar investigation took place with his friend Choe who had traveled to Italy with him. The Italian parliament opened an investigation over concerns that his wagers were being confiscated by the Kim regime.

Al-Duhail would live in the Qatar Stars League that year. It would be the last time football fans around the world would ever see Han Kwang Song play. No emerging transfer news, nothing, he simply vanished.