Hong Yong-jo's 64th-minute penalty had put North Korea ahead only for Ki Seung-yeung to volley South Korea level five minutes later in the Group Two encounter.

It means North Korea now have four points from their opening two games following an excellent 2-1 win in the UAE on Saturday, but they could have claimed all three against their neighbours had either Hong or Mun In-guk converted good opportunities.

"I am a bit disappointed," Kim said. "But I am satisfied with my players because they played good football."

However, he did admit the trip to the Middle East had taken its toll on his players.

"We were exhausted after playing in that climate (in the UAE). Otherwise we could have delivered a better performance."

South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo also lamented the fact his side produced a below-par display.

"As DPR Korea were thought to be a not very strong side in Group Two, we thought this contest would be a must-win game," he said.

"But we had injury problems and the players were under a lot of pressure, so we didn't play our best football today.

"It's not a bad result all in all. There will be wins and losses in football. I think we have the ability to be a strong side and the players are more than capable."

However, Huh felt the their opponents' resilience ultimately proved to be the major factor in the contest.

"We knew the problem would be to break down their defence and we tried very hard to solve this problem," he added.

"But we still failed and this was the main reason that we couldn't emerge triumphant."