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North Korea cheated in basketball games with China, source says

North Korea won games with China after falsely charging Chinese players with violations.

By Elizabeth Shim
Kim Jong Un was in attendance at a basketball game held on Saturday in Pyongyang. A Chinese team member accused the North Koreans of biased judging. Photo by Rodong Sinmun
Kim Jong Un was in attendance at a basketball game held on Saturday in Pyongyang. A Chinese team member accused the North Koreans of biased judging. Photo by Rodong Sinmun

SEOUL, May 31 (UPI) -- North Korea hosted a basketball game on its home turf on Saturday, but the matchup wasn't necessarily a slam-dunk for relations with China.

Members of the Chinese national team said North Korea won the game 82-73 because of "seriously" biased refereeing, Chinese news portal Sina Sports reported Tuesday.

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A Chinese player who was at the game said, "Some degree of biased judging, we can understand, but at this match it was too much."

The athlete who spoke to Chinese media on the condition of anonymity added, "Even when our players were standing, they were charged with traveling violations. And when there was light physical contact with the North Koreans, they called foul."

The player said similar violations from North Korean players were not penalized.

The games were broadcast on Pyongyang's KCTV on Sunday, and footage showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in attendance, along with an entourage of top North Korean officials, including Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong.

Kim is a basketball aficionado and has previously invited former NBA player Dennis Rodman to Pyongyang several times to meet with him.

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Rodman once called Kim a "friend for life."

The Chinese players, however, were unprepared to deal with North Korea's "strange situation," said another Chinese team member who spoke anonymously.

The Chinese athlete said that North Koreans gathered at the Ryugyong Chung Ju-yung Gymnasium began staring at Kim with eyes of adulation when he arrived. They also delivered a standing ovation while shouting slogans pledging their loyalty, an unusual experience for the visitors.

China played against the North Korean men's Sobaeksu team, and the two sides played a total of three games.

China lost all three games, according to the results.

China's national team member Lin Chang took to Weibo, a Chinese social media platform similar to Twitter, to tell his fans about his experiences in North Korea, South Korean news service News 1 reported.

Chang said he felt he was cut off from the world for a week and some players requested Wi-Fi service from the Chinese Embassy because they felt shut out.

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