North Korean women footballers arrive in South Korea for first sports visit in 8 years

Dubai: A North Korean women’s football team travelled to South Korea on Sunday, marking the first sporting visit from the country in eight years as they prepare to compete in the Asian Champions League semi-finals against their southern neighbours.

Naegohyang Women’s FC landed at Incheon International Airport in South Korea, where they were greeted by large crowds of reporters and fans holding welcome banners.

A group of 39 North Korean players and officials, wearing dark jackets and skirts, emerged from the airport gate and were met by dozens of supporters from South Korean civic organisations holding welcoming banners.

The players quickly got onto a bus, which left the airport under police escort.

Naegohyang Women’s FC, based in Pyongyang, are set to meet Suwon FC Women in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Champions League on Wednesday.

Established in 2012, the club claimed North Korea’s top-flight title in the 2021–22 season and also beat Suwon 3–0 during last year’s group stage.

The North Korean delegation travelled via Beijing and will stay in a hotel in Suwon, south of Seoul, with reports indicating that both teams will have separate dining facilities and travel arrangements to minimise direct contact.

Anticipation for the fixture has been extremely high, with over 7,000 tickets selling out within hours.

Seoul’s unification ministry has also supported civic groups preparing to cheer on both sides, framing the match as a chance to encourage greater “mutual understanding between the two Koreas.”

North Korean sports teams have not made visits to South Korea in recent years largely because of the long-standing political tensions and limited diplomatic engagement between the two countries.

Relations on the Korean Peninsula have frequently shifted between periods of cautious cooperation and sharp confrontation, which has directly affected cultural and sporting exchanges.

In addition, international sanctions on North Korea, concerns over security, and strict government-controlled travel arrangements have made cross-border visits difficult to organise.

As a result, sporting encounters have been rare, with most interaction between the two Koreas taking place in neutral venues or multinational competitions rather than direct visits.