Malek Maaz headed the Middle Eastern side ahead at the Jurong West Stadium just after the hour, but despite having Jong Su-hyuk sent off soon afterwards, North Korea got back on level terms through Pak Nam-chol seven minutes from time.

It was the second consecutive draw for the Saudis, who were also held 1-1 by Oman in a friendly at the same venue last Sunday.

The three-time Asian Cup winners wrapped up their warm-up schedule in the island republic with two wins and two draws following a 2-0 victory against United Arab Emirates and 2-1 success over hosts Singapore in earlier matches.

After a low-key opening half in which neither side managed a shot on goal, the Saudis increased their intensity after the interval with Mohammed Al Shalhoub firing over the crossbar after a surging run through midfield.

Newly-appointed Saudi skipper Yasser Al Qahtani, who returned from injury after sitting out his team's three previous matches, was a lively figure and went close to breaking the deadlock after 53 minutes when he worked himself an opening on the right channel before dragging an effort wide.

The well organised North Korean defence proved difficult to break down, but the Saudis finally took the lead on 63 minutes when Abdulrahman Al Qahtani swung over a corner that was met by Malek Maaz, whose towering header cleared the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Ri Myong-il and the head of a defender on the goalline.

North Korea's hope of a comeback suffered a blow after 68 minutes when midfielder Jong Su-hyuk was sent off after picking up his second yellow card, but the feisty east Asian side continued to battle and nearly got back on level terms in the 77th minute when Jang Myong-il headed over.

Saad Al Harthi nearly settled the match on 80 minutes when he was sent clear by Maaz, only to see his effort brilliantly turned aside by Ri.

North Korea took full advantage of that let-off by grabbing the equaliser three minutes later when a hard low ball from the left flank eluded a host of players in the middle but sat up nicely for the late-arriving Pak Nam-chol who blasted home at the far post.

Following the conclusion of their warm-up games in the island republic, Saudi Arabia will head down to Jakarta where they will kick off their Asian Cup campaign with a heavyweight Group D clash against South Korea on July 11.