On May 20th, Naegohyang Women’s FC will play against Suwon FC Women in the Asian Champions League for the first time in six years.
Published May 8, 2026
When North Korea’s women’s soccer team makes a rare trip across the border this month for the continental semifinals, hundreds of South Koreans will be cheering them on.
North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC will play against South Korea’s Suwon FC Women in the Asian Champions League on May 20th.
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This will be the first time a North Korean sports team will play in South Korea since 2018.
The two countries are technically at war, as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
South Korean civic groups have assembled a group of volunteers to yell against the Naegohyang match, and some predict that more than 1,000 people could end up supporting North Korea at the match in Suwon.
These groups support reconciliation between North and South Korea and frequently organize activities to promote that cause.
North Koreans are not allowed to enter South Korea, so there will be no away fans.
The Korea Reconciliation and Cooperation Council (KCRC) told AFP news agency that it had already conscripted about 300 soldiers.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said, “We hope that the news of Mr. Nae Go-hyang’s visit will be an opportunity to rekindle the flame of peace that was about to go out, amidst difficult inter-Korean relations.”
The Korea Sharing Movement said within an hour of Wednesday’s announcement that it had recruited 100 people, while the Hankyoreh Unification Culture Foundation said it had recruited about 60 people.
But South Korean laws and political considerations make it uncertain how fans should honor their heroes.
Under South Korea’s national security law, it is illegal to own or wave the North Korean flag or play the national anthem in public.
Asian Football Confederation regulations banning political expression in stadiums may also restrict the use of South Korea’s unification flag, which depicts the entire peninsula with a blue outline on a white background.
Officials from South Korea’s Unification Ministry told reporters this month that club flags, rather than national flags, will be flown during matches and the national anthem will not be played.
The semi-final winners will advance to the final of Asia’s top women’s club competition to be held in Suwon on May 23, where they will face Australia’s Melbourne City or Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza.
