Players and staff from the North Korean soccer team Naegohyang FC depart for North Korea via Incheon International Airport on May 25, 2026, after winning the title in the AFC Women’s Champions League. (Yonhap)
North Korean soccer team Naegohyang Women’s FC returned home on Sunday after winning the AFC Women’s Champions League title in the South Korean city of Suwon.This was the first visit to South Korea by a North Korean sports team in eight years, as well as the first visit since Pyongyang described the inter-Korean relationship as being that between two hostile states. While it’s generally thought the visit will do little to ease inter-Korean tensions, some see the potential for expanding inter-Korean contact in nonpolitical areas going forward.The Naegohyang athletes and staff, numbering 35 in all, boarded a flight for Beijing at Incheon International Airport on Sunday following eight days in Korea. Just as when they entered the country on May 17, the athletes studiously ignored members of Korean civic groups who had shown up to bid them farewell.Throughout the soccer tournament, North Korea maintained its stance that the two Koreas are separate states.After the North Korean team defeated Suwon FC Women in the semifinals on May 20, North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper did not report any information about South Korea other than the fact that the match was held there.In its coverage of the championship match, the Korean edition of the Rodong Sinmun focused on domestic unity: “[Our athletes’] proud achievements in this match have greatly encouraged the North Korean people and inspired faith in our victory.When a South Korean reporter asked a question about “the North” during a press conference after Naegohyang’s championship win, coach Ri Yu-il objected that North Korea should be called by its proper name — “Choson,” in the Korean language — and walked out of the venue.Kim Bo-mi, the head of North Korean research at the Institute for National Security Strategy, published a report on Friday assessing Naegohyang’s visit to South Korea.“The North Korean soccer team’s visit to the South has limited potential for transforming inter-Korean relations. Considering that North Korea has been diluting the concept of ‘one Korean nation’ and approaching inter-Korean relations within the framework of international norms, South Korea’s policy toward North Korea needs to be adjusted in accordance with the changing situation,” Kim wrote in the report.But some experts think that Naegohyang’s visit could mark the beginning of increasing contact in sports and other areas.“The team’s visit to South Korea could not have taken place without the approval of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. That suggests the possibility of inter-Korean contact expanding, if only in nonpolitical areas,” said Yang Moo-jin, a chair professor at the University of North Korean Studies.By Jang Ye-ji, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
