North Korean side Naegohyang wins Asian Champions League in South Korea
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- North Korea's Naegohyang won the Asian Women's Champions League final by defeating Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 in Suwon, South Korea, marking their first year in the competition with a historic victory.
- Captain Kim Kyong Yong scored the decisive goal just before half-time, securing the title and allowing Naegohyang to qualify for next year's FIFA Women's Champions Cup.
- The team celebrated by parading North Korea's national flag, an act typically banned under South Korea's National Security Act but permitted in certain international sporting contexts.
- Around 1,200 supporters from Seoul's unification ministry-backed civic groups attended the match despite travel restrictions, with no official North Korean away supporters present.
- The event was seen as a potential positive step for inter-Korean relations amid ongoing tensions, though political sensitivities remained evident during the post-match press conference.