A North Korean women’s football team arrived at Incheon International Airport on Sunday for the first visit by a sports team from the isolated country to South Korea in eight years, drawing intense media attention and a vocal crowd of civic supporters outside the arrivals gate.
The 39-member delegation from Naegohyang Women’s FC, whose name translates as “My Hometown” in Korean, exited the arrivals hall dressed in matching dark jackets and skirts.
They were greeted by dozens of supporters from South Korean civic groups, who held welcome signs. The players boarded a bus shortly after landing and departed under police escort.
The delegation traveled via Beijing on an Air China commercial flight. They are expected to stay at a hotel in Suwon, south of Seoul.
Local reports indicate the North and South Korean teams will share the same hotel but use separate dining areas and travel routes, with direct interaction between the two sides kept to a minimum.
North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC players arrive at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on May 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)
‘First visit in 8 years’
The arrival marks a rare moment of cross-border contact between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war and have had virtually no formal contact in years.
The last time a North Korean sports delegation visited the South was eight years ago, and the event has drawn significant public attention both inside and outside the country.
Civic group member Choi Young-ok, who was among those at the airport to welcome the visitors, described the occasion as meaningful but stopped short of drawing broader political conclusions.
“I came here today to welcome the Naegohyang team players, who are visiting South Korea for the first time in eight years,” Choi told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
She cautioned against reading too much into the visit. “While I do hope it will help, I don’t think this match alone will solve anything significant unless the fundamental issues between the two sides are addressed,” Choi said. “A sports match is just a sports match,” she added.
North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC players arrive at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on May 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)
The club and the match
Naegohyang Women’s FC, based in Pyongyang and founded in 2012, is in South Korea to compete in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Champions League (ACL).
The club will face Suwon FC Women at Suwon Sports Complex on Wednesday. The venue holds just under 12,000 spectators.
Interest in the fixture has been considerable.
More than 7,000 tickets sold out within hours of going on sale, reflecting the unusual nature of the cross-border matchup as much as the sporting stakes.
Naegohyang is no stranger to Suwon. The North Korean side won its domestic top-flight title in the 2021-22 season and already defeated Suwon 3-0 in the group stage of the current ACL tournament, giving it a clear advantage heading into the semi-final.
North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC players arrive at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on May 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)
Flags and logistics
Authorities and civic organizations have been coordinating cheering guidelines ahead of the game in light of a legal restriction that complicates expressions of support.
Under South Korea’s national security law, the public display of North Korean national flags is prohibited.
At past inter-Korean sporting events held in the South, supporters have instead waved flags depicting the Korean Peninsula as a unified landmass, and a similar approach is expected at Wednesday’s match.
South Korea’s unification ministry has provided funding to civic groups planning to support both teams at the game, describing the event as an opportunity to promote mutual understanding between the two Koreas.
South Korean activists hold banners welcoming North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC as they wait for the North Korean team’s arrival at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on May 17, 2026. (AFP Photo)
North Korea’s football standing
Women’s football occupies a prominent place in North Korea’s sporting identity. The country’s women’s national team is ranked 11th in the FIFA World Rankings, reflecting consistent performance at the highest levels of Asian and international competition.
The contrast with the men’s team is stark: North Korea’s men sit at 118th in the global rankings.
Naegohyang’s presence in the semi-finals of the Women’s ACL is consistent with that tradition and places the club among the top four sides in the continent’s premier club competition.
May 17, 2026 02:09 PM GMT+03:00