The news that a North Korean soccer player would soon compete in a South Korean league made headlines last month after the Japanese-born Ri Yong Jin signed with FC Anyang.

But Ri is far from the first athlete who has made appearances for both the DPRK national team and ROK club squads.

Japanese-born ethnic Korean (Zainichi) soccer players like Ri have been competing in ROK soccer leagues since the turn of the century, when the Sunshine Policy era kick-started a heightened focus on inter-Korean diplomacy. 

Unlike North Korea-born players, Zainichi Koreans face no sanctions, and the South Korean soccer