North Korean women’s football team will travel to South Korea for a match later this month, marking the first such visit in eight years.
Naegohyang Women’s FC is set to face Suwon FC Women on May 20 in the semi-final of the Asian Women’s Champions League, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said.
North Korea has submitted a delegation list of 27 players and 12 staff who will take part in the trip.
The team is expected to arrive in South Korea on May 17.
The visit comes as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pushes to improve relations with Pyongyang after years of tension.
The last time North Korean athletes visited the South was in 2018, when they took part in multiple events, including the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where both countries formed a joint women’s ice hockey team.
Relations have since worsened. North Korea has described the South as its “most hostile state” and said it no longer seeks reunification.
South Korean officials said the government will have a limited role in the upcoming match, as it is part of an international club competition rather than an inter-Korean event.
Authorities in Seoul will still provide logistical support for the visiting team during their stay.
Two semi-final matches are scheduled in Suwon on May 20, with the North Korean side’s game set to kick off at 7 p.m.
The winner will face either Melbourne City or Tokyo Verdy in the final on May 23, also in Suwon.
If Naegohyang Women’s FC loses in the semi-final, the team is expected to return home the following day.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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