Rivals. Neighbors.
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It’s a storied sporting narrative, but one that has rarely carried such meaning.
A North Korean women’s soccer team will take the field Wednesday in South Korea, becoming the first sports team from the isolated, nuclear-armed state to visit the democratic south in nearly eight years.
The rare clash has generated intense interest, offering a high-profile showcase for not only the prowess of Kim Jong Un’s regime but also efforts to keep building ties between these two countries that are technically still at war.
Kim is pursuing a more hostile policy toward U.S. ally South Korea, cementing his neighbor as the north’s “primary foe” and rebuffing repeated attempts at dialogue from South Korea’s liberal president, Lee Jae Myung.
“We came here strictly to play the match,” said Ri Yu Il, coach of Pyongyang’s Naegohyang Women’s FC.
Naegohyang will face South Korea’s Suwon FC Women on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League, a prestigious regional tournament.
But it will be hard to keep attention solely on the field in Suwon, a city south of Seoul.
Public interest in the rare North-South matchup has been high, with all 7,087 general admission tickets selling out within hours last week.
Also in the stands will be an estimated 3,000 spectators from civic groups supported by Seoul’s Unification Ministry, who are expected to cheer for both sides.
“Regardless of the outcome, we will cheer enthusiastically for both teams so that the two core values of sport — ‘fair play’ and ‘peace’ — are fully realized,” the groups said in a statement.
Ri, the North Korean coach, told reporters that “the issue of the cheering squad is not something I, as coach, or our players are thinking about. I think we will focus only on the game.”
The North Korean delegation — made up of 27 players and 12 staff members — traveled via Beijing before it arrived at Incheon International Airport on Sunday.
Naegohyang beat Suwon during the group stages of the tournament, and another victory Wednesday would send the North Korean club to the final this weekend, when it would face either Melbourne City FC or Tokyo Verdy Beleza.
North Korea is something of a powerhouse in women’s soccer, frequently winning youth competitions and competing at a much higher standard than its men’s teams.
Pyongyang is likely to use the event to project an image of stability and strength, analysts said, though it could also provide an opening for South Korea’s liberals to improve relations.
It will try to use the opportunity to demonstrate “confidence in the stability of its regime through achievements as a sports powerhouse,” said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University, adding that the match could also allow the Lee administration in the south to “improve inter-Korean relations.”
“The movement of athletes under international sporting norms suggests that minimal communication channels and security assurances between the two Koreas are still functioning,” he added.
He noted, however, that North Korean players may face strict controls.
“Pyongyang is likely to impose unprecedented levels of control, including severe restrictions on contact with South Korean individuals,” he said.
The AFC did not respond to a request for comment.
Sports diplomacy has previously played a role in relations between the two Koreas.
“Historically, sports diplomacy has helped to spur inter-Korean engagement,” said Victor Cha, who was director for Asian affairs at the U.S. National Security Council from 2004 to 2007.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the two Koreas fielded a joint table tennis team in 1991 that defeated China. They also marched under a unified flag during the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The last time North Korea sent its women’s national soccer team to the South was more than a decade ago, during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
“The match happening would not be a bad thing, and it could be a diplomatic opening,” Cha added, noting the game comes days after President Donald Trump’s visit to China, a key backer of North Korea.
Stella Kim reported from Seoul, and Jay Ganglani from Hong Kong.
