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Naegohyang Women’s FC face Suwon FC Women in Women’s Asian Champions League semi final on May 20, a rare North Korea-South Korea sports exchange drawing high political interest.
(AFP Photo)
A rare sporting exchange between North and South Korea is set to take place this week, as Naegohyang Women’s FC travel to South Korea for the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Champions League.
The match against Suwon FC Women has attracted enormous interest, with tickets selling out within hours and widespread attention on the political significance of the visit.
Historic visit after eight years
Naegohyang Women’s FC will be the first sports team from North Korea to visit South Korea since 2018. The two sides are scheduled to meet on May 20 in Suwon, a city located about 35 kilometres south of Seoul.
According to the Korea Football Association, all 7,087 general admission tickets for the semi-final were sold out in about 12 hours after they went on sale earlier this week.
The two Koreas technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.
Political significance of the trip
Sport has previously played a role in improving inter-Korean relations, particularly during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, when North Korea sent athletes, cheerleaders and senior officials to the South.
Relations, however, have deteriorated sharply since the collapse of nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States in 2019.
Under Kim Jong Un, “sports are viewed not simply as entertainment, but as a measure of national capability,” North Korea expert Lim Eul-chul said.
Pyongyang is likely “aiming to showcase what it sees as its ‘overwhelming superiority’ through sporting performance, using it as an opportunity to send a strong message that it is superior to its ‘hostile state’ rival,” he added.
Match logistics and special rules
The North Korean delegation will arrive by air from Beijing and will consist of 39 people, including 27 players and 12 staff members.
Both teams will stay in the same hotel in Suwon, although their dining areas and travel routes are expected to remain separate. The match will be held at Suwon Sports Complex, which has a capacity of just under 12,000.
Because this is a club competition, national flags and national anthems will not be used during the fixture.
Fan support and atmosphere
No away supporters will travel from North Korea, as North Korean citizens are generally not allowed to enter the South. However, South Korean civic groups are preparing to support both teams.
Seoul’s unification ministry will provide 300 million won ($200,000) to support fan activities, including banners and cheering supplies.
“We see it as a rare and meaningful exchange between young South and North Koreans,” said Hong Sang-young of the Korean Sharing Movement.
“Political slogans or messages could cause misunderstandings, so we intend to focus on football itself and on supporting young people from both Koreas sharing the same space.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
Seoul, South Korea
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