North Korean football team heads to South Korea in a rare visit this month
Beijing – United News Network (UNN): A North Korean football team, Naegohyang, is set to travel to South Korea in a rare visit taking place at the end of this month, to play a match in the semi-finals of the AFC Women’s Champions League.
The North Korean team Naegohyang will cross the border to face their South Korean counterpart, Seoul, on May 20, as part of the AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final matches.
Pyongyang announced a squad of 27 players and 12 staff members who will take part in the visit.
The South Korean Ministry of Unification confirmed the exchange, which will mark the first such participation by North Korean athletes since 2018.
In that year, North Korea took part in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, where athletes from both Koreas formed a unified women’s ice hockey team for the first time in their history.
This rare visit comes as South Korea, under President Lee Jae-myung, seeks to improve strained relations with the North.
Relations between the two countries have worsened in recent years, with North Korea describing South Korea as “the most hostile state” and condemning any attempts at reconciliation.
North and South Korea remain technically at war, as no peace treaty was signed following the end of the Korean War in 1953.
Naegohyang is participating in the AFC Women’s Champions League for the first time in its history after defeating Ho Chi Minh City FC of Vietnam 3–0 in the quarter-finals.
The winner of this match will host the final against either Melbourne City or Tokyo Verdy, which will also be held in Seoul on May 23.
United News Network – UNN Arabic
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