The dream of every J.League player is to get called up to the national team-but not necessarily Zico's Japan.

When the Group B World Cup qualifiers were drawn in December, Albirex Niigata defender An Yong Hak knew he would not be playing for the country of his birth. Instead, he is all set to take the pitch for North Korea and face many of his J.League cohorts when Japan and North Korea clash in their Group B opener on Feb. 9 at Saitama Stadium.

``This is not a war,'' An said in an Asahi Shimbun interview before leaving for China, where the North Korean national team is holding its training camp. ``I know there are some problems. But I hope the game will help bring mutual understanding through soccer.''

An was of course referring to the political tension between the two nations over Pyongyang's abduction of Japanese citizens during the Cold War.

A third-generation Korean born in Tokyo, An started his professional career with Albirex in 2002 after graduating from Rissho University.

Although the 26-year-old gets high marks as a defensive midfielder in the J.League, An plays an attacking role for the North Korean national side on left midfield.

``North Korea is my homeland, but I don't know much about it,'' said An, who was traded to Nagoya Grampus Eight last week. ``To be called up to the national side is a great honor for me, though.''

An made his international debut in the inter-Korea match in 2002 at Seoul World Cup Stadium. He then went on to appear in two games in the first Asian qualifier last year, scoring twice and providing one assist.

``I was relieved that I was able to score. But I like attacking best,'' he said. ``For the national team, my role is to shoot aggressively rather than deliver a lot of crosses.''

An said he had a sleepless night before his debut with the national team-an anxiety that still haunts him.

``As a player from Japan, I can't help but feel nervous. I stand out from the rest of theteam.''

But An's situation on the North Korean squad isn't unique. He is also joined by Sanfrecce Hiroshima's Ri Han Jae, another Japan-born Korean.

The rest of the team is made up of members of the army team, ``4.25.'' The team is named for the date on which the Korean People's Army was founded.

The 4.25 team came to Japan in 1974 to sweep all four games against Japan and the Japan Soccer League select teams in Tokyo and Osaka.

Since 1975, North Korea and Japan clashed 11 times, with both teams recording four wins, four losses and three draws. In their last match, Japan beat North Korea 3-0 in a 1993 World Cup qualifier for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

An said the current North Korean team boasts players with a lot of stamina, physical strength and speed.

When asked who is his favorite player, An casts an eye toward Europe.

``My hero is Zinedine Zidane of France,'' he said. ``I like him because he is a big, but agile player.''

Soccer and the World Cup has been an interest to An since he was a child.

Like many kids growing up playing soccer in Japan, he loved the manga and anime of ``Captain Tsubasa.''

``To play in the World Cup finals would be a dream come true,'' An said. ``But first we must play Japan. They are a strong team, but of course, I have a lot of information on them from my J.League experience.

``We'll shoot for victories in all three home games,'' he added. ``Japan is the most talented team in Group B. But we can't look past Iran and Bahrain. Those are mystery teams to me.''(IHT/Asahi: January 28,2005)