May 20, 2026
SEOUL – The head coach of North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC said Tuesday that his team was focused only on its match against Suwon FC Women, not on the South Korean supporters who plan to cheer for both teams.
Ri Yu-il said his players are well prepared for the semifinal of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, marking the first time women’s soccer teams from the two Koreas have faced each other on South Korean soil.
The Naegohyang delegation is the first group of North Korean athletes to travel to South Korea for a competition since December 2018. No North Korean soccer team had visited the South since the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
Ri said his team would not underestimate Suwon FC Women, despite having beaten the South Korean side 3-0 in a group-stage match in November.
“All four teams in the semifinals are capable of winning the championship. We cannot say which team has the upper hand or which is the underdog just because we met in the group stage,” Ri said at a press conference at Suwon Stadium.
The coach said neither he nor his players would be distracted by the 3,000 supporters in South Korea who plan to cheer for both teams while refraining from mentioning either Korea during the match.
The cheering squad was organized by more than 200 local civic groups. The Unification Ministry is providing financial support for the group, saying its support for both teams could contribute to inter-Korean cooperation.
“Similar questions may come up again, but we are here strictly for the match,” Ri said. “We will focus only on tomorrow’s match and the matches ahead. The issue of the supporters is not a matter of concern for either the players or the head coach.”
Naegohyang captain Kim Kyong-yong kept her answers brief, saying the team would do its best in the key match. She said the atmosphere in the locker room was good.
“We will try our best to live up to the expectations and trust of our people and our families,” the forward said.
Kim led North Korea to the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup title in 2017, when she was named MVP and finished as the tournament’s top scorer.