hankyoreh

South and North Korea will face off against each other Wednesday in an Asian qualifier for the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer finals in South Africa, reviving their Cold War rivalry on neutral ground in Shanghai, China.

The rare showdown, scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. (local time), comes after North Korea refused to allow South Korea to raise its national flag and play its national anthem in the initial venue, Pyongyang.

Having fought the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce rather than a peace treaty, the North balked at the idea of the South using its national symbols in the heart of the communist state. The two Koreas do not officially recognize each other as full political entities, despite a recent thawing in relations.

The rejection prompted the world soccer governing body FIFA to compromise earlier this month by ordering the venue be shifted to Shanghai.

FIFA rules stipulate that countries participating in World Cup matches should be able to use their national flags and anthems. No punitive action has been taken against North Korea.

South Korea has summoned three of its English Premier League players, including Park Ji-sung of Manchester United, for the match at Hongkou Stadium, while North Korea seeks to stun its opponent with its top striker, Jong Tae-se.

Jong, who plays for Japan's professional Kawasaki Frontale club and is nicknamed "North Korean Wayne Rooney" among the local press for his speed and agility, scored an equalizer to hold South Korea to a 1-1 draw in an East Asian derby on Feb. 22 in China.

South Korea, which ranks 47th in the world and seeks its seventh straight ticket for the World Cup finals, boasts a record of five wins, four ties and one loss against the North. It is headed by manager Huh Jung-moo.

North Korea, led by head coach Kim Jong-hun, has not appeared in the World Cup since 1966 -- when it reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in England -- and stands 126th in the FIFA rankings.

The two Koreas are drawn in Asian Group C with Turkmenistan and Jordan for the third qualifying round. South Korea thrashed Turkmenistan 4-0 on Feb. 7 in the opener while North Korea defeated Jordan 1-0, heightening the hopes for both of the divided states to reach the World Cup finals.

Asia has been allotted 4.5 tickets for the 2010 tournament.

Five groups of four teams are competing in the third Asian qualifying round, and only two from each group will advance to the next and final round.

After the ten winners are split into two final-round groups, two teams from each group will receive World Cup tickets, while the fifth will play a top-seeded squad from Oceania for the last remaining berth.

SHANGHAI, China, March 26 (Yonhap)