SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A North Korea women’s soccer team The North Korean team arrived in South Korea on Sunday to compete in a regional tournament, the first visit by a North Korean team in eight years amid political tensions between the two countries.
A total of 39 players and staff from North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC arrived at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul, on a plane from China. They made no comment, but some activists shouted “Welcome! Welcome!” And citizens filmed their arrival on cellphones.
The North Korean team will face South Korea’s Suwon FC Women on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League in Suwon, south of Seoul.
Both North and South sometimes sporting event In order for the relationship to be friendly and create pleasant moments. However, there appears to be no sign that this soccer event will thaw the long-strained relationship with the North Korean leader. Kim Jong Un his maintenance confrontational stance against Korea.
“We should be cautious about interpreting their visit as a sign of improving inter-Korean relations,” Lee Woo-tae, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said in a recent report. “It would be more accurate to view this as limited North-South contact within the framework of international sports.”
In recent years, Kim has repeatedly called South Korea his country’s main enemy and taken steps to eliminate the idea of a shared nation and establish a hostile system. “Two-state” system on the Korean Peninsula. Officials say the move likely stems from Kim’s wariness about South Korea’s cultural influence and his realization that South Korea is no longer useful in dealings with the United States.
The last time North Korea sent athletes to South Korea was for a table tennis tournament in December 2018. At that time, North Korea and South Korea were engaged in a fierce battle. Exchange/cooperation program With the participation of North Korea, Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea in early 2018.
The brief period of easing tensions between the two Koreas has ended. US-led diplomacy The end of North Korea’s nuclear program collapsed in 2019 due to international disputes over sanctions against North Korea. Since then, North Korea has conducted provocative weapons tests to expand its nuclear arsenal and rejected offers from South Korea and the United States for diplomatic restoration.
The current liberal government of South Korea led by the president Lee Jae Myung We support friendly relations with North Korea. The government announced it would provide financial support to civil society groups planning to organize 3,000 members to cheer on both the North and South Korean teams at Wednesday’s match.
“While strictly adhering to AFC guidelines, we will chant the names of both teams and players and enthusiastically support them,” the civic groups said in a joint statement.
North Korea is a powerhouse in women’s soccer, especially at the youth level. They have won the Under-17 Women’s World Cup four times and the Under-20 Women’s World Cup three times. Negohyang Women’s FC defeated Suwon FC Women 3-0 in the group stage in Myanmar last November.
Melbourne City FC and Tokyo Verdy Beleza will face off in the other semi-final on Wednesday. The final is scheduled for Saturday at a stadium in Suwon.
