North Korean women’s football club to play regional tournament in South Korea

A North Korean women’s football club will play at a regional tournament in South Korea later this month in a rare sports exchange between the two countries, local media reported Monday.

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, Yonhap News Agency reported.

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.

South Korea also hosted the EAFF competition in 2019 and 2025, but North Korea withdrew from both events.

North Korea’s women’s national team also competed at the 2014 Asian Games hosted by Incheon, just west of Seoul, and beat Japan for the gold medal.