North Korean Team Wins 2-1 in South Korea for Asian Women's Champions League Final

North Korean football club Naegohyang defeated South Korean side Suwon 2-1 in a match played in South Korea. The victory secured Naegohyang a place in the Asian Women's Champions League final. The match marked the first time athletes from North Korea traveled to South Korea for a sporting event since the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Suwon took the lead in the 49th minute through Haruhi Suzuki before Naegohyang equalized and took the lead with goals from Choe Kum-ok and Kim Kyong-yong.

A late penalty awarded to Suwon was missed by Ji So-yun.

The sold-out fixture drew spectators supported by Seoul's unification ministry, though no official supporters traveled from North Korea due to movement restrictions. Naegohyang player Choe said the team believed in its ability and found its rhythm in the second half.

The squad of 27 players and 12 staff will remain in South Korea ahead of Saturday's final against Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza at the same venue.

Background The two nations remain technically at war after the 1953 armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War. South Korea's Unification Minister Chund Dong-young said the match would establish a positive precedent for relations between the two Koreas.