▲ Naegohyang Women's FC players greet fans after defeating ISPE FC 3-0 in their Group C match of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League at Thuwunna Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, in this Nov. 15, 2025, EPA file photo. (Yonhap)

S Korea-NK football team

S. Korea to approve N. Korean football team's visit for AFC semis

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- Seoul will soon approve a planned visit by a North Korean women's football team to the country, the unification ministry said Thursday.

Pyongyang-based Naegohyang Women's FC is scheduled to arrive in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday to face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League. It will mark the first appearance by a North Korean athletic team on South Korean soil in more than seven years.

Under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, North Korean nationals must receive individual government approval to enter South Korea.

A ministry official said the approval will be issued in the afternoon, covering the team's stay from Sunday through the following Sunday.

The North Korean team will leave earlier if eliminated in the semifinals, slated for Wednesday, the official added.

Some 200 South Korean civic groups have formed a 3,000-strong cheering squad for the historic inter-Korean match.

In a press release, they said they would support both teams "to uphold the spirit of fair play and peace."

The squad will refrain from chanting national affiliations, referring instead to each club by name in line with the AFC's guidelines prohibiting political and religious expressions, read the release.

The ministry has set aside 300 million won (US$202,000) in government funds to support the cheering squad. The final match is slated for 2 p.m. next Sunday.

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