The North Korean women’s football team from Naegohyang arrived in South Korea on Sunday for the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League, an opportunity seized by Seoul to celebrate “mutual understanding” between the two countries.
The 39 players and staff landed at Incheon International Airport, marking the first visit in eight years of a North Korean sports team to their southern neighbor. They were greeted by a crowd of journalists and supporters holding welcome signs, as noted by an AFP journalist.
“I came here today to welcome the Naegohyang team, who are traveling to South Korea for the first time in eight years,” said Choi Young-ok, a member of a citizen group, to AFP.
However, she expressed reservations about the improvement of relations between the two Koreas through this sports encounter.
“Although I hope it will help, I do not think this match alone will solve anything significant if the fundamental issues between the two parties are not addressed,” she said, without providing further details.
The players quickly boarded a bus, which departed under police escort.
The Naegohyang FC (“My Hometown” in Korean), based in Pyongyang, will face Suwon FC in the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
Founded in 2012, the club won the North Korean championship title in the 2021-2022 season and defeated Suwon 3-0 in last year’s group stage.
The North Korean delegation arrived via Beijing on a commercial flight from Air China and is expected to stay at a hotel in Suwon, south of Seoul.
According to local media, the North and South Korean teams will use separate restaurant rooms and travel itineraries to limit direct interactions.
The match has generated significant interest, with all 7,000 tickets sold out in a matter of hours. It will take place at the Suwon Sports Complex, with a seating capacity of just under 12,000.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification has also funded civilian groups planning to support both teams during the match, seeing the event as an opportunity to promote “mutual understanding between the two Koreas.”
These groups have discussed encouragement guidelines with authorities beforehand, as displaying the North Korean national flag in public is prohibited in South Korea under the National Security Law.
At similar events held in the past, flags representing the Korean peninsula have been waved.
Women’s football is one of the sports where North Korea excels the most.
Its national team currently ranks 11th in the FIFA women’s ranking, far ahead of the men’s team, which is in 118th place.
Published on May 17 at 09:49, AFP
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