(Asiad) N. Korean men's football coach vows best possible result at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- The coach of North Korea's men's football team on Tuesday pledged to produce the best possible results at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, underscoring strong support from people of North Korean descent in Japan.

"Every team aims to win a medal. We will do our best and work toward our goals," coach Ri Kwang-chon said during a press conference ahead of their first Pool B match against China at Wave Stadium Kariya in Kariya, just southeast of Nagoya.

"Our first goal is to do our best in the three preliminary matches and advance from the group stage."

The 20th Asian Games, the first continental multisport event to take place in Japan in 32 years, will officially open on Saturday, with some sports, such as football and basketball, already under way.

North Korea is grouped in Pool B along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran and China. Its next match against the UAE is slated for Sunday.

The top two teams from each of four groups will advance to the quarterfinals.

Ri said he was impressed by the hundreds of Japanese residents of North Korean descent, all wearing red shirts and cheering for the North Korean women's football team during their Asian Games opener against Bangladesh at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday.

The North Korean women's team routed Bangladesh 10-0 in a Group F match to begin its gold-medal pursuit.

"I think the women's team won in response to the enthusiastic support from our compatriots," Ri said. "I was touched by their enthusiastic cheers when we arrived in Japan."

However, he declined to answer a question from a South Korean reporter about his goals for the Asian Games, as North Korea has sent a large-scale delegation to Japan for the first time.

"That question seems unrelated to the competition," he said.