SEOUL, South Korea – All eyes in South Korea will turn to the kick-off between the South and North Korean national football teams Wednesday night, as they battle for the ticket to the 2010 South Africa World Cup finals, stepping aside from political tensions over Pyongyang's proposed rocket launch. 

Members of North Korea's football team practice in Seoul on Tuesday.

North and South Korean matches traditionally draw more attention, and this match is not an exception. It is the sixth World Cup match between the two sides, with the previous three games ending in a draw. The winner of this round will be able to distance itself from other competing teams up for a grab to the World Cup.

Most people on the streets of Seoul seemed to be willing to put politics behind and sit back to watch a good round of football.

 "I don't know much about all the missile talk going on, and I don't really think the issues are related. Sports is sports," said 30-year-old Park Miyoung, who plans to watch the game held in Seoul at home with her family.

South Koreans have developed a taste for what seems to be an almost obsessive watching of live sportscasts over the past few years. Restaurants are equipped with flat screens so that customers can cheer on over shots of soju and hearty barbeques, and apartment compounds shake with roars of thunder when a player scores.

More people are zooming in on major games seeking a dose of relief from the sagging local economy and their empty pockets, and recent major achievements in fields such as baseball and figure skating have provided a source of uplift.

"Things are getting nasty with the economy these days, so I'm hoping that the team wins tonight and helps the country build a better name for itself," 74-year-old Seo Young-suk said.

Seo, who experienced the Korean War, said it is touching to see both countries overcome ideology and play each other.

"But it's still competition. We can't lose to them," he added.