North Korean Women’s Football Team Set for Historic Visit to South Korea
For the first time since the 2018 Winter Olympics, North Korean athletes will cross the border into South Korea.
Naegohyang, a North Korean women's football team, is scheduled to travel to South Korea later this month to compete in the Asian Women's Champions League. The team will arrive in Suwon on May 20 for a semi-final match against the South Korean side Suwon.
South Korea's Unification Ministry confirmed the trip, stating that North Korea has submitted a list of 27 players and 12 staff members. This marks the first official visit by North Korean athletes to South Korea since the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where the two Koreas formed a unified women's ice hockey team.
A backdrop of strained relations
The visit occurs amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas. North Korea has repeatedly criticized South Korea, calling it a "hostile state" and declaring it will no longer pursue reunification. The two countries remain technically at war since the 1953 Korean War armistice, as no formal peace treaty was ever signed.
Naegohyang’s Champions League run
Naegohyang is participating in the Champions League for the first time, having secured their spot with a decisive 3-0 victory over Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam in the quarter-finals.
The winner of the semi-final will face either Melbourne City or Tokyo Verdy in the final, which is also scheduled to be held in Suwon on May 23.