North Korean Naegohyang Women’s FC to Participate in Regional Tournament Held in South Korea
NORTH KOREA – The North Korean Naegohyang Women’s FC will participate in regional tournament to be held on May 20 in South Korea, marking the first sports exchange between the two countries in 12 years.
The Korea Football Association (KFA), the governing body of football and futsal within South Korea, said Naegohyang Women’s FC will travel to Suwon, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Seoul, to face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions League on May 20 at Suwon Stadium.
Comprising 27 players and 12 club staff, Naegohyang Women’s FC are scheduled to land at Incheon International Airport via Beijing on May 17.
The championship final will be played on May 23 at the Suwon venue.
Naegohyang beat Suwon FC Women 3-0 in their group-stage meeting on Nov. 12 in Myanmar.
In 2005 and 2013, the North Korean women’s national team traveled to South Korea to compete at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Women’s Football Championship.
According to an official at the Ministry of Unification in Seoul, North Korea last sent its women’s soccer team to South Korea in 2014.
The team participated in the 2014 Asian Games, which were held in Incheon, a city near Seoul.
It would be the first time in 12 years that any team from North Korea has visited South Korea, the official confirmed to Anadolu in a text message.
The North Korean team had beaten Japan for the gold medal.
South Korea also hosted the EAFF competition in 2019 and 2025, but North Korea withdrew from both events.
