SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The North Korean women's soccer team, consisting of 39 players and staff from Naegohyang Women’s FC, arrived at Incheon International Airport on Sunday, May 17, 2026. This marks the first visit by North Korean athletes to South Korea in eight years, amid ongoing political tensions between the two countries. The team flew in from China, but refrained from making any statements upon arrival, although local activists greeted them with shouts of "Welcome! Welcome!" while citizens captured the moment on their mobile phones.
The North Korean team is set to compete against South Korea’s Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League on Wednesday in Suwon, a city located south of Seoul. Historically, the two Koreas have utilized sports events to foster goodwill during amicable periods; however, this sporting event is unlikely to indicate a thaw in their long-strained relations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has consistently maintained a confrontational stance against South Korea.
Lee Wootae, a senior research fellow at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification, warned against over-interpreting this visit as a sign of warming relations. "It would be more accurate to view this as a limited South-North Korean contact within the framework of international sports," he stated. Recent years have seen Kim Jong Un label South Korea as his country's principal enemy, undertaking measures to dissolve any notions of shared statehood, while pushing towards a hostile "two-state" framework on the Korean Peninsula. Analysts suggest that Kim’s actions are likely fueled by a growing apprehension of South Korea’s cultural influence and a belief that South Korea is no longer beneficial for negotiations with the U.S.
The last time North Korea sent athletes to South Korea was in December 2018 for a table tennis event, during which both Koreas engaged in a series of exchange and cooperation programs following North Korea's participation in the Pyeongchang Olympics earlier that year. However, this brief period of détente came to a halt after U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions collapsed in 2019, primarily due to disputes surrounding international sanctions on the North. Since then, North Korea has conducted a series of provocative weapons tests and has rejected attempts from both South Korea and the U.S. to revive diplomatic discussions.
The liberal government of South Korea, under President Lee Jae Myung, advocates for closer ties with North Korea. This administration has announced plans to support civic groups organizing a cheering squad consisting of 3,000 members to support both North and South Korean teams during the upcoming match. The civic groups have stated, "We will enthusiastically cheer for them by chanting the names of both teams and their players, while faithfully adhering to AFC guidelines."
North Korea has a strong reputation in women's soccer, particularly at the youth level, with the nation's teams winning the Under-17 Women’s World Cup four times and the Under-20 Women’s World Cup three times. In a previous encounter, Naegohyang Women’s FC triumphed over Suwon FC Women with a 3-0 victory in the group stages held in Myanmar last November.
In the other semifinal on Wednesday, Melbourne City FC will face off against Tokyo Verdy Beleza, with the final scheduled for Saturday at a stadium in Suwon.
