JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun said yesterday he is plotting one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when his side take on five-time champions Brazil in their opener.

The reclusive North Koreans are the overwhelming underdogs heading into today’s clash with the South American giants in Johannesburg, but Kim is unfazed by the enormity of the task in the “Group of Death”.

“Our Group G opponents are very strong,” the 53-year-old told FIFA’s website. The other two sides in the group are Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast.

“But in football, the best teams don’t necessarily win. We will give it our best. We know we need to win to reach the knockout phase, so no matter who we’re up against, we’ll target the three points.”

The North Koreans, ranked 105 in the world, are no stranger to shock wins, causing a colossal upset in their only previous World Cup in 1966 when they shocked mighty Italy 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals in England.

The “Chollima” are renowned for their solid defence but Kim said the team can also be a threat going forward.

“Our rivals are expecting to see us focus on defence because we actually played quite defensively during qualification,” he said.

“But our game is not all about playing cautiously — we can also play good attacking football when we need to.”

The spearhead of North Korea’s attack is Jong Tae-Se, who plays in Japan’s J-League. Jong scored twice in a recent 2-2 draw with Greece and also netted during a 1-3 loss to Nigeria in the run-up to the South African showpiece.

But Kim hopes the focus on Jong will allow others to get into goalscoring positions in the match against top-ranked Brazil at Ellis Park.

“Brazil are indeed a stronger team than us, but we can use our tactics to counter them,” said captain Hong Yong-Jo, who finished as his side’s joint leading marksman in qualifying.

“You never know what will happen until the match is over. I have set a personal goal for myself, which is to motivate my team-mates and help my country reach the last 16,” said Hong.

Kim also has the option to summon Choe Kum-Chol from the bench. He has been compared to the legendary Pak Doo-Ik, who netted that famous goal against Italy 44 years ago.

“When people compare me with our legend I can only smile,” said Choe. “But we know we can all become legends in this World Cup, and this is our dream.”