North Korea's football squad have been publicly humiliated in Pyongyang in the wake of their 2010 World Cup failure in South Africa, according to reports.

Eurosport reports the football team was made to stand on stage af the People's Palace of Culture while students reprimanded them for their performance over six hours.

This contradicts news agencies who report the incident took place behind closed doors in front of government officials.

Team members were forced to reprimand their coach at the end of the gathering, according to Reuters.

Radio Free Asia claimed the dressing-down took place on July 2, but news has only now emerged from the secretive country.

Different sources also report coach Kim Jong-Hun was made to work on a building site and expelled from the Workers' Party of Korea.

He has copped the brunt of blame for "betraying the trust of Kim Jong-Un", one of dictator Kim Jong-Il's sons, after failing to emerge from the World Cup's 'Group of Death'.

North Korea lost all three of their matches at the World Cup to football powerhouses Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast.

After an initial strong showing in their 2-1 loss to Brazil the country received live coverage of an unfortunate 7-0 drubbing by Portugal.

The side went on to lose 3-0 to Didier Drogba's Ivorians.

Japanese-born pair Jong Tae-Se and An Yong-Hak escaped the ridicule as they returned to Japan.

South Korean intelligence workers told Eurosport that in the past athletes who performed poorly on the world stage for North Korea have been sent to prison camps.

The 2010 World Cup marked the first time North Korea had qualified for the tournament finals since 1966 when the team famously upset Italy 1-0.