North Korean club wins Asian women’s title in South Korea

SEOUL: North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC won the Asian Women’s Champions League on Saturday, defeating Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 in the final in the South Korean city of Suwon.

The match was decided by captain Kim Kyong Yong’s goal a minute before half-time. The victory sends Naegohyang to next year’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, a tournament featuring the champions of the six continental confederations, with the final four matches scheduled to be played in Miami.

It was the first visit by a North Korean sports team to South Korea in eight years. Women’s football remains one of North Korea’s strongest international sports, with the country’s women’s sides regularly competing at leading levels in Asia and beyond.

Coach and captain look ahead

After the win, Naegohyang coach Ri Yu Il thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his support and said the team was now preparing for tougher tests ahead.

Today, as we face a historic moment advancing into the world as the top team in Asia, the emotions and passion we feel are simply indescribable

The trophy ceremony has already concluded and now we face the task of confronting various new challenges ahead of us.

Ri also said his players had concentrated entirely on the final.

All of our players focused solely on winning today’s match, putting in the effort while cherishing every minute and second

I did not have the time or room to concern myself with various other issues.

Kim, who was named the tournament’s best player, said the team had made progress despite limited senior-level experience.

Although our players lacked experience in senior-level matches, we have improved significantly as a team

Through this match, we will strive to overcome our shortcomings and definitely achieve great results in future world-class competitions.

Final played in fair spirit

The final was more competitive than the teams’ earlier meeting in the tournament, when Tokyo Verdy Beleza won 4-0 in the first round in Myanmar. In Suwon, the Japanese side had the better of the opening half until Kim’s goal gave Naegohyang the lead just before the break.

The game featured a number of hard tackles, but it was played in a fair spirit. Naegohyang had reached the final by beating South Korea’s Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semi-finals, also in Suwon.

After the match, Naegohyang’s players displayed North Korea’s national flag, which has long been considered taboo in South Korea under the National Security Act.

Ri and Kim later left a news conference after a South Korean reporter asked a question referring to their country as the north side. The country’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Support in the stands

Naegohyang, founded in 2012, take their name from a Korean phrase meaning My Hometown. The team drew considerable attention after arriving in South Korea last week.

Around 1,200 members of civic groups backed by Seoul’s unification ministry attended the final as a cheering squad. There were no official Naegohyang supporters present because North Koreans are generally not allowed to enter the South, and the two Koreas have technically remained at war since 1950.

South Korean spectators, wearing caps and sunglasses in sunny conditions, beat traditional Korean drums while supporting the North Korean side. The crowd for the final was 2,670, with many empty seats visible and tickets still available shortly before kick-off.

Cheong Wook-sik, director of the South Korean NGO Peace Network, told AFP before the game that the visit carried emotional significance.

We have long been the closest neighbours, yet also the most hostile towards each other

I hope these football events can help change that, even if it may sound too idealistic.

Choi Hyo-kwan, a 94-year-old originally from North Korea, also attended the match.

I heard they were playing Japan today, so I came out to support them

Above all, I just hope everyone stays healthy, avoids injuries and goes all the way to victory.

North Korea are ranked 11th in the FIFA women’s world rankings, well above the country’s men’s team, which is ranked 118th.