On May 20, under heavy rain in Suwon, South Korea, Naegohyang Women FC came from behind to beat Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the AFC Women's Champions League semifinal. This victory secured the North Korean team a spot in the final and marked the first time a North Korean sports team has played in South Korea since 2018.
The match was tense and dramatic. After a scoreless first half, Suwon FC took the lead in the 49th minute with a goal from Japanese striker Haruhi Suzuki. However, Naegohyang equalized just six minutes later when Choe Kum Ok headed in from a free kick. In the 67th minute, star striker Kim Kyong Yong scored another header to seal the win for the visitors.
Suwon FC had a chance to equalize in the 80th minute when they were awarded a penalty after a VAR review, but captain Ji So-yun, a former Chelsea midfielder, sent her shot wide of the post. Naegohyang players hugged and wept with joy as the final whistle blew.
Speaking after the match, Choe Kum Ok said: “We believed in our team’s ability. If everyone is united, neither the semifinal nor the final is a problem.” She also emphasized: “Every player plays an important role, but things weren’t going smoothly in the first half. When we moved to the second half, we regained our rhythm and the match went much better.”
This special semifinal drew significant attention from fans. All 7,087 available tickets sold out within hours. However, bad weather left half the seats in the uncovered section of Suwon Sports Complex empty. A group of spectators from social organizations supported by South Korea’s Unification Ministry showed up to cheer for both teams, but most remained silent.
“I’ll cheer for both teams, but I lean a bit more toward North Korea because they’ve come such a long way,” a spectator named Lee told AFP. Meanwhile, Suwon supporter Kweon Yun-young, 29, said: “No matter whether the opponent comes from North Korea or any other country, we really hope our team wins and reaches the final to show the strength of South Korean women’s football.”
Naegohyang will remain in South Korea to play the final on Saturday (May 23) against Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza, which beat Australia’s Melbourne City 3-1 in the other semifinal. The two teams previously met in the group stage, where Naegohyang won 3-0.
