The North Korean women's football team Naegohyang Women's FC has arrived in South Korea to compete in the AFC Women's Champions League semi-finals, marking the first time a North Korean sports team has come to the southern neighboring country in 8 years.
The team consisting of 39 players and coaching staff members landed at Incheon International Airport near Seoul amidst the welcome of many reporters and South Korean civilian groups. Team members wore dark-colored uniforms, matching skirts and pink suitcases.
Many people holding banners "We welcome you" stood along the blocked walkway under strict security surveillance. After that, the team quickly got on a police-escorted bus to leave the airport.
Naegohyang Women's FC is based in Pyongyang and will meet Suwon FC Women in the semi-finals taking place on May 20. Founded in 2012, this team has won the top Korean women's league in the 2021-2022 season and won against Suwon 3-0 in the group stage last year.
Local media reported that the two teams will stay in the same hotel but use separate dining areas and travel routes to limit direct contact. The attraction of the match is very large when more than 7,000 tickets were sold out in just a few hours. The match takes place at Suwon Sports Complex with a capacity of nearly 12,000 seats.
The South Korean Ministry of Unification also provided financial support to civilian groups cheering for the two teams, seeing this as an opportunity to promote "mutual understanding between the two Koreas".
According to local media, cheering groups discussed with officials about cheering regulations, as South Korean national security law prohibits publicly waving the North Korean flag.
