N. Korea briefly reports on women's football team's AFC final bid

N Korea-football team

N. Korea briefly reports on women's football team's AFC final bid

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's state media on Thursday briefly reported on its women's football club's advancement to the final of a top Asian club tournament, after beating a South Korean rival.

In a short dispatch, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the semifinal between "the Naegohyang Team of the DPRK and the Suwon Team of the ROK" took place in South Korea the previous day, using the acronym of each country's official name.

"The Naegohyang Team beat its rival 2:1 and advanced into the final" of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League," it said.

It was the first KCNA report on the team since March 29, when it covered the team's quarterfinal victory.

The dispatch omitted several details surrounding the match, including the South Korean crowd's reception of the visiting team and the torrential rain that drenched the pitch.

The Rodong Sinmun, the official paper of the ruling Workers' Party and one of the few publications accessible to ordinary North Koreans, did run photos of players competing in the downpour.

Naegohyang Women's FC defeated Suwon FC Women 2-1 at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, booking their place in the tournament's final slated for Saturday.

Kim Kyong-yong of Naegohyang Women's FC (C) is congratulated by teammates after scoring her team's second goal during the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League semifinal match against South Korea's Suwon FC Women in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on May 20, 2026, in this AP photo. (Yonhap)