The showdown between the two sides — whose countries are still technically at war — took place at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Stadium with no live broadcast, no supporters and no foreign media in attendance.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino was at the match and said in a statement that he was "disappointed to see there were no fans in the stands”, meanwhile, the world media described the match as ‘the world’s most weirdest derby’.
"We were surprised by this and by several issues related to its live broadcast and problems with visas and access for foreign journalists" Mr Infantino said, adding that, for FIFA, freedom of the press and freedom of speech were paramount.
Last year saw a flurry of sports diplomacy between the two Koreas, which fielded a joint ice hockey team and marched together at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
That set the stage for a series of summits between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South's Moon Jae-in. The two Koreas even talked about a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.
But relations have since cooled over stalled negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
In addition to the television blackout and empty stands, South Korean media were also blocked, with only some 30 KFA staff with limited communications allowed to relay information about the game, Seoul officials said.
