A former head coach of South Korea’s national football team appears to be seeking to build a futsal stadium in North Korea, an official said Friday.

Guus Hiddink, who guided South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, proposed the idea to the South Korean government between late 2013 and early this year, unification ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do said in a regular briefing.

Hiddink has also expressed hope that he can send materials needed for the stadium through the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas, Kim said.

Kim said South Korea will review any official request by Hiddink for shipment of the materials.

The Dutchman has helped South Korea build 11 futsal stadiums for visually impaired players. Futsal is a type of football played indoors with five players a side.

A South Korean official of the Guus Hiddink Foundation said his foundation had no comment on Hiddink’s envisioned project in North Korea.

Hiddink is popular among many South Koreans for leading their country to the 2002 World Cup semifinals. He later became an honorary citizen of Seoul. (Yonhap)