S.Korea confident World Cup qualifier against N. Korea will be in Seoul

South Korean soccer officials are confident the South's World Cup qualifier against North Korea will be held in its capital Seoul, despite the North's request for FIFA to move the match to a neutral country.

The two Koreas played out a scoreless draw in the first leg of their World Cup qualifier at Shanghai in March after the match was shifted from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, following the communist country's refusal to allow the South to play its national anthem and raise its flag.

North Korea requested world governing body FIFA hold the second-leg under similar circumstances, in a third country, citing security reasons, said You Young-cheul, a spokesman for the South's Korea Football Association on Thursday.

FIFA relayed the request to the KFA, which rejected the move, pointing out that the two countries had played several international matches in the South in recent years without incident, You said.

You said FIFA had since given every indication the match would go ahead at Seoul on July 22, including sending an official document on the appointment of referees for the game earlier this month with the South Korean capital nominated as the venue.

"That shows FIFA has ruled the World Cup match will be held in Seoul as scheduled," he said.

FIFA officials at the organization's Switzerland headquarters could not immediately be reached for comment early Thursday.

The two Koreas have marched together under the blue and white "unification flag" at several major international sports events including the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, and have used the traditional song "Arirang" in place of individual anthems.

The North insisted the sides do the same at the match in Pyongyang, while the South argued a FIFA rule stipulates national anthems and flags should be used at official international matches. The South has no objection to the North flying its flag or playing its anthem.

The two Koreas fought a three-year war that ended in 1953 in a truce, not a peace treaty, leaving them technically at war. Their relations have warmed since the first summit between their leaders in 2000.

The two Koreas were drawn in the Group C with Turkmenistan and Jordan in the third-round of Asian qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

South Korea and North Korea share the group lead on 4 points each with four matches to be played.

This is the first time North and South have been drawn together in World Cup qualifying, which involves teams playing each other in home and away matches.

Sapa-AP