North Korea is rated as rank outsider to reach the last 16, with Portugal and the Côte d'Ivoire joining the five-time world champion alongside Kim's men in Group G.

But in spite of that, Kim refuses to accept that Wednesday's match against the South Americans is purely a damage-limitation exercise and revealed that some of the team from 1966 - when North Korea beat Italy 1-0 in Middlesbrough before a 5-3 quarter-final defeat to Portugal at Goodison Park - have been an inspiration to his men.

He said: "We met them before we came here, while we were training. They came quite often to the training camps and gave us advice and encouragement and told us what it would be like and gave us encouragement so that we could make our great leader Kim Jong-il very proud.

"Tomorrow when we meet Brazil it could be a difficult match but nevertheless the three points we get for winning the match will not be just for Brazil, they will be precious for us as well.

"Our goal for tomorrow is to gain those three victory points and that our team truly becomes one and we exploit our full potential."

Kim Jong-il, who rules North Korea as an absolute dictatorship which has almost no contact with the outside world, makes this team's presence in South Africa one of the great curiosities of the tournament.

Questions of any political bent were ruled off-limits from the outset of the team's pre-match press conference, but the name of the 'great leader' came up many times in Kim Jong-hun's answers in any case.

Asked how his team - ranked 85th in the world - could possibly overcome number one-ranked Brazil, Kim said: "Our players are very qualified, they are very talented and they don't fall behind any other players in the world.

"Their talent and quality will be shown tomorrow and this will bring great happiness to our leader Kim Jong-il and show that people of Korea DPR have a strong mentality.

"Of course Brazil are a strong team, they are a perennial favourite. But we have a strong mentality and that is why I think we will prevail."

Coach Kim, who said all his players were in top condition with no one carrying any knocks, said his interest in football had been sparked by the exploits of the 1966 team.

"I was 10 years old, however when I heard about the game my parents and all of the people were very happy," he recalled.

"I was very young but I felt our players had done very well, I was proud of them and very envious as well and that is what pushed me. It made me realise that football was very important and could inspire the people of my country. That is why I became the coach for the national team."

The Korean team has very little in the way of European experience, with forward Hong Yong-jo the only member of Kim's 23 to operate there with Russian side Rostov while another striker Jong Tae-se is Japan-born and plays in the J.League for Kawasaki Frontale.

Kim would not disclose his tactics to take on the might of Brazil, but in qualifying for the tournament the team was noted for its safety-first approach with a five-man defence featuring a sweeper and they will need to be watertight against the likes of Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano on Wednesday if it is to take anything from the game.

Kim was also asked about the strange case of Kim Myong-won. FIFA insisted that the player, who is normally a striker for his club Amrokgang, would have to be listed as a goalkeeper after Kim Jong-hun named only two goalkeepers instead of three.

Coach Kim explained: "Kim Myong-won was a striker and now he is registered as a goalkeeper (for the World Cup). He began as a goalkeeper.

"He really is a goalkeeper but he is very fast so we switched him to a striker, but we felt for this World Cup he wanted to be a goalkeeper again, so that is what we did for him."