South Korea's cheering section, like most at the Asian Games, was a ragtag collection of off-duty athletes and officials, relatives and die-hard fans willing to make the 12-hour trip to this tiny country on the Persian Gulf to see their team play.
North Korea brought out the pros.
Seemingly materializing out of nowhere, hundreds of men in dark gray suits filled their section of the stadium for the North Korea-versus-South Korea soccer game, clapping and singing in unison and roaring whenever their players got the ball. As soon as the game was over, they vanished just as quickly as they had arrived.
For North Korea, impoverished and increasingly isolated after conducting its first nuclear test just two months ago, the Asian Games isn't just about sports.
It's a chance to win a gold for the "Dear Leader" -- Kim Jong-il.
"We dedicate everything, our participation and any medals we win, to our nation and our leader," said Ri Kyong-hui, captain of the North Korea softball team. "Without him, there is nothing."
The Asian Games mark something of a return to the international stage for North Korea after its Oct. 9 nuclear test, which prompted tough sanctions from the UN Security Council that have further cut off Kim's almost hermetically sealed regime.
The North is going all out to make a mark, with teams in everything from archery to wushu, a Chinese martial art. All told, the North has 162 athletes here.
So far, they haven't had much to cheer about. Ten days into the 15-day competition, the North had won just five gold medals -- in gymnastics, shooting and judo. South Korea, meanwhile, had won 28.
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