Zainichi Korean football player Ri Song-a under spotlight at 2026 Asian Games
Summary
Japanese media have spotlighted Ri Song-a, a Zainichi Korean footballer representing North Korea at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. North Korea beat Bangladesh 10-0 in its opening women’s football match at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday, and Ri played the full 90 minutes and scored. Ri said playing in Osaka, where she was born and raised, meant a lot to her.
Key Facts
- North Korea’s women’s team, coached by Pak Song-jin, won its opening Group F match 10-0 against Bangladesh at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday.
- Ri Song-a scored North Korea’s eighth goal six minutes into the second half.
- Ri was born in 1999, is reportedly from Osaka Prefecture, and currently plays for Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina after earlier stints with Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies and Nittaidai SMG Yokohama.
North Korea’s Ri Song-a celebrates after scoring during a Group F match against Bangladesh at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Monday. Yonhap
Japanese media have turned their attention to Ri Song-a, a Zainichi Korean football player representing North Korea at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Zainichi Koreans are ethnic Koreans who reside in Japan, a community largely rooted in Koreans who migrated to Japan during the Japanese colonial rule and their descendants.
Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tuesday that “North Korea won its opening women’s football match by a large margin,” noting that “the Japanese government made an exception to allow North Korean athletes to enter the country.”
The North Korean women’s national football team, led by coach Pak Song-jin, defeated Bangladesh 10-0 in their opening Group F match of the women’s football tournament at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday.
North Korea is considered a powerhouse in women’s football at the Asian Games. Seeking its first gold medal since the 2014 Incheon Games, the team showed its offensive strength from the opening match of this year’s tournament.
North Korea’s Ri Song-a celebrates after scoring during a Group F match against Bangladesh at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Monday. Yonhap
North Korean forward Ri started the match and played the full 90 minutes. She scored the team’s eighth goal six minutes into the second half, contributing to the team’s overwhelming victory over Bangladesh.
“Being born a Zainichi Korean and being able to represent my country in Osaka, where I was born and raised, means a lot to me. It was a happy 90 minutes,” Ri was quoted by Yomiuri Shimbun as saying after the match.
Born in 1999, Ri is reportedly from Osaka Prefecture. She began her professional career in 2015 after joining Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies. She later played for Nittaidai SMG Yokohama and currently plays for Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina.
Ri attended Nippon Sport Science University. During her youth, however, she is believed to have attended a Chongryon-affiliated Korean school. Chongryon, formally known as the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, is a pro-Pyongyang organization representing a segment of the ethnic Korean community in Japan. She has represented North Korea in international competitions since the under-17 level while continuing her football career in Japan.
North Korea's Jong Tae-se, a Zainichi Korean football player, calls for a pass as he makes a run toward the goal during a friendly match against Nigeria at Makholong Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 6, 2018. Korea Times file
Her case is similar to that of Jong Tae-se, who represented North Korea at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was nicknamed the “People’s Rooney.”
Ri also wrote in a social media post on Sunday, “Tomorrow is our first Asian Games match! The match will be held in Osaka, where I was born and raised. I will carry the hearts of all Zainichi Koreans with me and fight until the very end! Please cheer us on! Fellow Koreans!! See you at the stadium!”
After the Bangladesh match, she thanked the supporters, writing, “To all the supporters who cheered us on at the top of their lungs without taking a moment’s rest for the entire 90 minutes and fought alongside us as the 12th player: Thank you, fellow Koreans!”
North Korean players run toward the stands where North Korean supporters were seated after their 10-0 victory over Bangladesh in a Group F match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 14, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Yonhap
Meanwhile, Chongryon organized a support group made up of students from Korean schools in Japan to cheer on North Korea’s delegation at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Hundreds of supporters also turned out at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on Monday for the women’s football match between North Korea and Bangladesh, drawing attention with their enthusiastic cheering.
Students from Korean schools in Osaka, Kyoto and nearby areas cheer for the North Korean national team from the stands during a Group F match between North Korea and Bangladesh at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 14, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Yonhap
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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