Naegohyang FC Arrives in South Korea for 1st North Korean Athlete Visit in 8 Years
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 17
Naegohyang FC Arrives in South Korea for 1st North Korean Athlete Visit in 8 Years
11 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 17
Naegohyang FC’s 39-member delegation — 27 players and 12 staff — entered South Korea on Sunday for Wednesday’s AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final against Suwon FC Women.
The visit marks the first trip by North Korean athletes to the South in eight years and was approved under Seoul’s inter-Korean exchange law, with the team cleared to stay until next weekend or leave earlier if eliminated.
Public demand has been strong: all 7,087 tickets released to the general public sold out within a day, while Seoul set aside 300 million won ($200,000) to support a joint cheering squad.
The match comes as Pyongyang has called the South its “most hostile state” and rejected reunification, while President Lee Jae Myung has pushed for better ties and the ruling party cast the visit as a chance to reopen dialogue.
With North Korea declaring the South its enemy, can a football match truly build a bridge to peace?
Is Seoul's new 'two-state' policy a pragmatic step for peace or the final surrender of its unification dream?
Naegohyang FC’s Landmark 2026 Visit: North Korean Women’s Football Team Faces Suwon FC in AFC Semifinal Amid Political Strain
Overview
On May 17, 2026, North Korea's Naegohyang FC arrived in South Korea, marking the first visit by a North Korean sports delegation in over seven years and the first by a women’s football team since 2014. Approved by Seoul’s Unification Ministry, the 39-member delegation will stay until May 24, with their visit centered on the AFC Women’s Champions League semifinal against Suwon FC Women on May 20. This rare sporting exchange, carefully managed under strict protocols, highlights both the public’s strong interest and the sensitive political context, as the outcome of the match will determine the length of Naegohyang FC’s stay.