North Korean club arrives in South for rare Asian Champions League clash
The South Korean Unification Ministry has funded a cheering squad to promote mutual understanding, while President Lee Jae Myung advocates for improved relations against Kim Jong Un’s hostile stance.
A women’s football delegation from North Korea has arrived in South Korea, marking the first visit by athletes from the North in eight years. The Naegohyang Women’s FC team landed at Incheon International Airport on Sunday, completing a journey via Beijing on a commercial Air China flight. The delegation comprises 27 players and 12 staff members, arriving under the framework of inter-Korean exchange laws despite the current deterioration in bilateral relations.
The visit is driven by the team’s participation in the Asian Champions League semifinals against South Korea’s Suwon FC Women. Public interest has been significant, with all 7,087 tickets made available to the general public selling out within a day. The match is scheduled for Wednesday at the Suwon Sports Complex, which has a capacity of just under 12,000.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry has allocated 300 million won from an inter-Korean cooperation fund to finance a cheering squad for both teams. Officials have framed the event as a mechanism to promote mutual understanding between the two Koreas, which have been separated since the 1950-1953 Korean War. The ministry has stressed that the engagement is intended to foster dialogue, even as civic groups maintain that the sporting event remains distinct from political negotiations.
The political context surrounding the visit highlights a sharp divergence in leadership approaches. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for improved ties, contrasting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has recently described the South as the "most hostile state" and opposed reunification. In a further signal of Seoul’s desire for rapprochement, South Korean media report that Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is considering attending the match, although this has not been confirmed.
In line with Asian Football Confederation regulations, the Korean Unification flag will not be displayed at the fixture, as the competition involves club teams rather than national sides. The winner of the semifinal will face either Melbourne City or Tokyo Verdy in the final on Saturday. If eliminated, the North Korean team is expected to return home the following day, with their visit approved through the weekend.
