FLAGS BANNED
Naegohyang Women’s FC, based in Pyongyang, will face Suwon FC Women in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
Founded in 2012, the club won North Korea’s top-flight title in the 2021-22 season and defeated Suwon 3-0 during the tournament’s group stage last year.
The North Korean entourage arrived via Beijing on an Air China commercial flight and will stay at a hotel in Suwon, south of Seoul.
Local reports said the North and South Korean teams would stay at the same hotel but use separate dining areas and travel routes, limiting direct interaction.
Interest in the match has been intense, with more than 7,000 tickets selling out within hours. The game will be at Suwon Sports Complex, which has a capacity of just under 12,000.
Seoul’s unification ministry has also provided funding for civic groups planning to support both teams at the game, describing the event as an opportunity to promote “mutual understanding between the two Koreas”.
According to local media, civic groups have been discussing cheering guidelines with the authorities, because waving North Korean national flags in public is prohibited under the national security law.
In past, such events held in the South, civic groups instead waved flags depicting the Korean Peninsula.
Women’s football is one of North Korea’s strongest international sports, with their national teams regularly competing at the highest levels in Asia and globally.
North Korea are ranked 11th in the FIFA women’s rankings, far ahead of their men’s team, who are 118th.