Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Gov't takes low-key approach as NK football team's visit tests inter-Korean relations
Members of Naegohyang Women’s FC greet spectators after finishing a match with Mynanmar's AWCL ISPE in Yangon, Myanmar, in this Dec. 15, 2025, file photo. EPA-Yonhap
By Park Ji-won
Experts skeptical of rapid improvement in relationship but expect event to ease tension
The planned inter-Korean match between Suwon FC Women and Pyongyang’s Naegohyang Women’s FC on May 20 is drawing attention for being held in South Korea after the North defined the South as "hostile enemy state" and abandoned the principal of unification in its new Constitution.
Co-organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Korea Football Association (KFA) and Suwon Special City, the AWCL Final 2026 is Asia's premier women's club tournament, running from May 17 to 23. The winner will meet the victor of the other semifinal between Melbourne City FC and Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final on May 23.
The Ministry of Unification and Cheong Wa Dae “welcomed” the scheduled visit, but remain quiet regarding any direct involvement in the event, saying they will provide procedural support for the Pyongyang team, such as handling the issuance of travel documents.
The two Korean teams will stay at the same hotel in accordance with AFC rules, but will eat and be assigned rooms on separate floors, a unification ministry official said. The North Korean team is also required to pass through the mixed zone designated for post-game interviews, which it has so far rejected or ignored. Audiences are not allowed to engage in any political activities, including waving national flags, as it is a club match.
The official said, “It is an international match. The ministry is preparing for the event so that it can set a good precedent.”
As North Korea has rarely appeared at international events since the COVID-19 pandemic, many were surprised by the participation of a North Korean team in matches held in the South. The two Koreas are technically still at war, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently defined inter-Korean relations as those between “two hostile states” and Pyongyang recently revised its Constitution to remove references to “reunification.”
Unlike in the past, many observers see practical reasons behind the North’s participation, including showcasing its performance as a football powerhouse, competing for prize money and avoiding penalties. The winner of the tournament will receive $1 million (1.47 billion won), while the runner-up will receive $500,000 under the AFC rules. If a team refuses to participate in the semifinals, it must pay a fine of at least $100,000. It could also be barred from participating in future AFC-organized tournaments.
North Korea is widely regarded as one of Asia's best countries in women's football. Its national women's team is ranked 11th in the FIFA rankings as of April, and has also clinched a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Experts caution against reading too much into the visit, interpreting it as part of a long-term approach to managing relations between two independent nations.
“North Korea appears to be maintaining its ‘two-state’ approach to relations between the North and South ... Within that framework, it seems to be taking a long-term approach in competing and cooperating in international events,” Jung Chang-hyun, director of the Korean Peace and Economy Institute, said.
He noted there are no major negative factors at the moment, such as joint military drills with the United States, that would prevent Pyongyang’s team from coming to the South at a time when the North is expanding its post-pandemic diplomatic footprint.
He added Pyongyang appears to be concerned its participation in international events in the South could give an overly optimistic impression of renewed inter-Korean dialogue or exchanges.
Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, pointed out that South Korea should remain careful in noting that it is a club match, not a national match.
“The North has framed it as state-to-state relations and hostile relations, which is different from the South’s aim of seeking peace. Under these circumstances, we need to recognize that this is different from past efforts to restore inter-Korean ties through sports,” Yang said.
“Still, because this is ultimately a matter between people, the fact that North Korea is sending a women’s football team to the South after defining the two Koreas as hostile states carries its own significance. It would be desirable if this leads to the restoration of inter-Korean relations, but even if it does not, it would still be positive if it helps ease tensions between the two Koreas.”
Athletes from South and North Koreas wave the Korean Peninsular flag during an opening event at PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics in this Feb. 9, 2018, file photo. Yonhap
Sports as bridge
Sports exchanges have often served as a venue for breakthroughs whene the two Koreas have faced political tensions.
Sports exchanges between the two Koreas began in 1963, when they held talks to discuss forming a unified team for the Tokyo Olympics. The efforts later paved the way for the inter-Korean unification football match in 1990, the first sports exchange between the two Koreas since national division.
In 1991, the two Koreas also fielded a unified team at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Portugal, reaching the quarterfinals.
A series of talks and cooperation efforts led the two countries to join the United Nations in September in 1991, the adoption of the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement in December and the Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula the following year.
The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics were a high point in inter-Korean sports exchanges. The two marched together under the Korean Peninsula flag at the opening ceremony, while South Korean athletes in snow sports held joint training with their North Korean counterparts at the Masikryong Ski Resort in the North. A unified women’s ice hockey team was also formed, marking the first-ever joint Korean team in Olympic history.
Sports exchanges not only helped create a mood of reconciliation but also served as opportunities for high-ranking officials from the two Koreas to meet.
However, there is no sign or anticipation that high-ranking officials from the North will visit the South for the upcoming football matches.
The South's unification ministry did not confirm whether Minister Chung Dong-young would attend.