For The First Time In Eight Years, A North Korean Women’s Football Team Played In South Korea And Won
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has made inter-Korean engagement a priority since taking office in June 2025, congratulated the winners.
For the first time in eight years, a North Korean women’s football team visited South Korea to play a semi-final match for the Asian Women’s Champions League.
North and South Korea are separated by one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world, and communication between ordinary citizens of the two countries is essentially impossible.
Sports remain one of the only reasons people from the North are allowed to enter the South.
On Sunday, May 17, 39 players and staff from North Korea’s Naegohyang club landed in South Korea for the Asian Women’s Champions League after winning the North Korean domestic title.
On May 20, Naegohyang, which is one of North Korea’s strongest clubs, faced South Korea's Suwon FC Women in the semifinal and won.
On May 23, the team then went on to defeat Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0, securing the championship and a US$1 million prize.
There were no North Korean fans at either match as North Koreans cannot travel freely to the South.
"At a time when inter-Korean relations are severe, news of Naegohyang's visit brings us hope," the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation said, according to AFP.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has made inter-Korean engagement a priority since taking office in June 2025, congratulated the winners.
The South Korean government also funded cheering squads to cheer for Naegohyang, contributing about US$200,000 to the effort, according to United Press Agency (UPI).
North Korea made no public political statements about the visit.
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