A North Korea tourism company signed on as the new sponsor for a non-league football team in the U.K., "raising eyebrows in the world of sports," according to Tom O'Connor of NEWSWEEK. Fans of Blyth Spartans Association Football Club noticed a "Visit North Korea" advertisement Wednesday as the team played at home against Spennymoor Town at Croft Park in northeastern England. The poster "invited readers to a website offering travel packages to the notoriously reclusive state" currently in the midst of an "unprecedented denuclearization-for-peace process" with South Korea and the U.S. The country's website description reads, "Visit North Korea provides expert led travel with an emphasis on engagement in the world's most secretive country." Blyth Spartans Commercial Manager Mark Scott reportedly included this same description on Wednesday's matchday program. In regard to the country's reputation, Scott said, "Who am I to judge?" He added that the deal was conducted "very professionally," and the team was already seeing benefits from the partnership. Visit North Korea is reportedly run by a student at the University of Sunderland and was paid a fee of £150 ($190) upfront for the advertisement deal (NEWSWEEK, 12/27).
