On Sunday at a press conference in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong told reporters that he made players switch shirts during recent friendlies to "confuse" opponents.
Shin Tae-yong devised the clever plan ahead of South Korea's high-pressure World Cup opening game against Sweden on Monday.
Tae-yong Shin said: "It's very difficult for Westerners to distinguish between Asians and that's why we did that."
“All coaches probably feel their opponents are always spying on them.
“I think it’s perfectly natural that we all try to get as much information on each other as we can.”
The hugely anticipated opening game is set to be a crucial one, as both teams prepare to face tougher matches in their group against Mexico and Germany.
Tottenham striker Son Heung-min and captain Ki Sung-yeung were the only players who wore their usual shirts against Bolivia and Senegal earlier this month, Tae-young added.
The deliberate ploy has continued in Russia and possibly to good effect, with Sweden's manager apologising after claims one of his scouts spied on a closed South Korea training session.
Explaining the sneaky trick, Shin said: "In my opinion, I think when the Europeans look at us Asians, I think it could be one of the reasons.