According to the BBC website the North Korea will not be preparing for the World Cup finals with a visit to Zimbabwe due to fears that there will be more than just soccer players on the flight.
The Zimbabwe government had suggested the Asian side would stop in the country on their way to South Africa.
That sparked protests in Matabeleland, where rights groups say a North Korean-trained army unit killed thousands of people during the 1980s.The army soldiers were known as the 5th Brigade that were used to bring about 'social change' in Zimbabwe.
In October 1980, President Robert Mugabe signed an agreement with the North Korean President, Kim Il Sung that they would train a brigade for the Zimbabwe National Army. In August 1981, 106 North Koreans arrived to train the new brigade.The members of the Fifth Brigade were drawn from 3500 ex-ZANLA troops, including two unintegrated ZANLA battalions, at Tongogara Assembly Point. There were a few ZIPRA troops in the unit initially, but they were withdrawn before the end of the training. It has been reported that there were also some foreigners in the unit, possibly Tanzanians. The training of Fifth Brigade lasted until September 1982, when Minister Sekeramayi announced training was complete.
The Fifth Brigade was different from all other army units in that it was not integrated into the army. It was answerable only to the Prime Minister, and not to the normal army command structures. Their codes, uniforms, radios and equipment were not compatible with other army units. Their most distinguishing feature in the field was their red berets, although many reports note that on occasions Fifth Brigade soldiers would operate in civilian clothes.
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