Naegohyang Women’s FC achieved a historic 2-1 victory over Suwon FC Women in a rare trip to Korea, and will face Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final.
Published May 20, 2026
North Korea’s sports team visited South Korea for the first time in eight years, and Naegohyang Women’s FC defeated Suwon FC Women 2-1 to advance to the final of the Asian Women’s Champions League.
On Wednesday, in heavy rain in Suwon, Naegohyang came from behind to defeat its rival from the south, and the semi-finals were fought in a fair spirit with no major flashpoints.
Suwon captain Ji So-yoon missed a penalty kick with just over 10 minutes remaining.
As the Suwon players collapsed on the grass, North Koreans hugged each other and shed tears at the final whistle.
“We believed in our team’s ability,” said Choi Geum-ok of Naegohyang, who scored his team’s tying goal in the second half.
“If everyone stays together, there will be no problem in the semi-finals or the final.”
The North Koreans will remain in South Korea until Saturday’s final, when they will face Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza at the same stadium.
Coach Choi said, “Every player’s role is important, but things didn’t go well in the first half.”
“I think we found our rhythm in the second half and the flow of the game got much better.”
Interest in the rare semi-final showdown between North and South is so high that 7,087 general admission tickets sold out within hours of going on sale last week.
However, due to bad weather, half of the seats in the roofless Suwon Sports Complex were empty.
“I traveled a very long way.”
A large crowd of citizens’ groups supported by Seoul’s Ministry of Unification was at the stadium to cheer on both teams, but they were mostly silent.
“I’m going to support both teams, but North Korea has come a long way so I’m going to support them a little bit more,” Lee, a woman who watched the match, told AFP news agency.
Suwon fans beat drums and cheered for their team.
Suwon fan Kwen Yun-young (29) said, “Regardless of whether the opponent team is North Korea or another country, I sincerely hope that we can win, advance to the finals, and prove the strength of the women’s soccer team.”
As North Koreans are generally prohibited from entering South Korea, there were no official away supporters.
The two teams met in the group stage earlier in the tournament, with Naegohyang winning 3-0.
Former Chelsea midfielder Ji said Suwon expected the semi-final to be a tough physical battle and was ready to give their all.
The match was fast and fair, with both teams creating early chances.
Naegohyang had his goal canceled for offside in the fifth minute, and midway through the first half Suwon’s Japanese striker Haruhi Suzuki hit the post with his head.
In the 49th minute, while the Uchigo defense hesitated, Suzuki pounced on the opportunity and gave Mizuhara the lead.
Six minutes later, North Korea tied the score with Choi’s header from a free kick.
Then, versatile striker Kim Kyung-young stopped a fierce attack with a header in the 67th minute to give Naegohyang the lead.
As a result of the VAR review, Suwon was awarded a penalty, but Ji’s spot kick missed the goalkeeper’s diving mistake and went wide of the target.
Tokyo defeated Australia’s Melbourne City 3-1 in the other semi-final on the same day.
