The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced on 1 May that Naegohyang Women's FC would compete in the semi-final, according to its statement. South Korea's unification ministry said a 39-member delegation—27 players and 12 staff—would arrive on 17 May for the match against Suwon FC Women, scheduled for 20 May at the Suwon Sports Complex. The ministry added that it will be the first time a North Korean women's football team has played on southern soil since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. The visit occurs amid heightened tensions and minimal official contact, according to reports and analysts.
South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June 2025, has made reviving inter-Korean dialogue a central policy goal, according to his administration. In a liberation day speech in August 2024, Lee stated that South and North Korea are not enemies, renounced unification by absorption, and pledged no hostile acts, as reported by state media. An unnamed presidential office official told The Guardian that the government welcomed Naegohyang's participation and would ensure the team could compete successfully.
South and North Korea are not enemies.
Despite the football visit, Pyongyang has given no public indication of a policy shift, according to analysts. In December 2023, state media reported that Kim Jong-un had redefined inter-Korean relations as between 'two hostile states' in a state of war, a position he reiterated as recently as March 2025. In state media, Kim Yo-jong said Pyongyang had 'no interest' in dialogue regardless of who led the South after Lee took office. North Korea also declined an invitation to the 2025 world archery championships in Gwangju and withdrew from the EAFF women's football championship hosted in the South last July, according to sports officials.
According to FIFA rankings, North Korea's women's team is 11th in the world, ahead of Australia, China, and South Korea. The country's youth teams have won the FIFA under-17 Women's World Cup four times, including in 2024 and 2025, and the under-20 equivalent three times, as reported by FIFA. In the group stage last November in Myanmar, Naegohyang defeated Suwon 3-0, according to match records, raising anticipation for the rematch. The exact security and logistical arrangements for the delegation's visit have not been detailed, and it remains unclear if the North Korean government will officially acknowledge the delegation and its implications. The broader impact on inter-Korean relations given the current hostile posture is uncertain, and there is no confirmation of any additional activities beyond the match.
no interest