One-sided overtures leave only embarrassment in inter-Korean relations

North Korean club Naegohyang Women’s Football Club coach Ri Yu-il and players, winners of the AFC Women’s Champions League, arrive at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on May 24. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

 

North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s Football Club recently won the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League held in Suwon. Hoping to use the North Korean team’s visit to Korea for the first time in eight years as an opportunity to revive inter-Korean exchanges, the Korean government provided 300 million won ($196,000) from the inter-Korean cooperation fund to support joint cheering events. Public officials were even mobilized to lead enthusiastic support campaigns inside the stadium.

 

What returned, however, was a cold response.

 

After securing the tournament’s $1 million prize, worth about 1.5 billion won, the North Korean team maintained a consistently hostile attitude during its stay. During a press conference, coach Ri Yu-il abruptly walked out after a Korean reporter began a question by saying that “North Korean women’s football has long maintained a high level.” Ri interrupted the reporter, demanding that the country’s official name be used and declaring that he would not take questions from “that person.”

 

It was not the first such incident. Ri had similarly refused to participate in a press conference at the Asian Games two years ago over the same issue. The behavior showed neither basic courtesy expected of guests nor sportsmanship.

 

At inter-Korean sporting events, participants have traditionally referred to each other as the “South side” and “North side.” Since Pyongyang began promoting its so-called “two-state theory,” however, North Korea has increasingly rejected gestures implying ethnic unity, even in sports exchanges.

 

The North Korean delegation also ignored members of Korean civic groups who came to the airport the following day to see the team off. The response was one of complete indifference despite the hospitality shown by the Korean side.

 


 

Understandably, the government hopes to preserve at least sports and civilian exchanges while formal inter-Korean dialogue remains frozen. Even during the Cold War, sports sometimes created small openings where official diplomacy could not.

 

Still, continuing to extend a hand while the other side repeatedly rejects it risks appearing less like dialogue and more like one-sided courtship. As the Korean saying goes, applause requires two hands.

 

The government should keep open the possibility of renewed exchanges with North Korea, but it should not appear desperate for engagement at any cost. Seoul also needs to consider how such unilateral gestures may look from the North Korean perspective and whether they risk becoming a source of ridicule.

 

What is needed instead is a principled approach toward North Korea, one grounded in mutual respect and equal dignity. Only when such conditions are met should Korea respond with support and hospitality. A North Korea policy that loses its sense of balance and dignity will struggle to win public support at home.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.