O North Korean women’s club Naegohyang FC landed in South Korea this Sunday (16) to compete in the Women’s Asian Champions League semi-finalmarking the first visit by athletes from isolated North Korea to South Korean territory in eight years.
The delegation, made up of 27 players and 12 members of the coaching staff, entered the country ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Suwon FC Women, in the city of Suwon.
The visit was approved under the law and covers the team’s stay until the next weekend. However, the team will be able to return sooner if they are eliminated, according to the Seoul Ministry of Unification.
Public interest in the match has been high. According to the Yonhap agency, citing the South Korean football federation, the 7,087 tickets made available to the general public were sold in less than a day.
The rare visit takes place at a time of . In recent years, North Korea has classified South Korea as its “most hostile state” and ruled out the possibility of reunification of the peninsula, divided since the Korean War, fought between 1950 and 1953.
On the other hand, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung defends improving relations between the countries.
“It may be difficult to expect a complete thawing of tense relations with just this one-off visit,” said a spokesperson for the ruling Democratic Party, promising efforts to open space for exchanges and dialogue.
“We hope this serves as a opportunity to break down the high barriers between South and North”, he added.
The South Korean government stated that it will have limited participation in organizing the event, as it is a , but guaranteed logistical support for the visiting team.
The Ministry of Unification also reported that it set aside 300 million won — around R$1.2 million — from an inter-Korean cooperation fund to support fans on both sides, citing the event’s potential to promote mutual understanding between the Koreas.
As the match involves clubs, not national teams, there will be no playing of national anthems or display of political symbolsincluding the Korean reunification flag, following the rules of the Asian Football Confederation.
The Korean reunification flag, white with the blue silhouette of the peninsula, was often used at international sporting events involving the two Koreas as a symbol of unity.
According to the South Korean press, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young is also considering attending the semi-final.
The match is scheduled for 7pm local time (7am Brasília) on Wednesday, in Suwon. The winner will face either Melbourne City or Tokyo Verdy in Saturday’s final.
If Naegohyang is defeated, the North Korean delegation must return to the country the following day, the ministry said.
