North Korea’s Naegohyang won the Asian Women’s Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Tokyo Verdy Beleza of Japan in the final on Saturday, with forward Kim Kyong-Yong netting the only goal of the match.
Naegohyang, who arrived in Suwon last Sunday and beat the hometown team 2-1 in the semi-finals on Wednesday, are the first North Korean athletes to visit the South in eight years.
The rare visit comes as North Korea has in recent years labelled the South its “most hostile state” and ruled out reuniting the nation split by the 1950-1953 Korean War.
In Saturday’s final, Tokyo Verdy struggled to deal with their opponents’ pace and intensity throughout the contest at the Suwon Sports Complex and were repeatedly carved open by counter-attacks, one of which led to Naegohyang’s goal.
Naegohyang scored on the cusp of halftime after attacker Jong Kum surged forward and outmuscled Tokyo Verdy defender Yuna Aoki on the left wing before sending in a cross for Kim, who netted with a deft finish in the 44th minute. Tokyo Verdy desperately chased an equaliser in the second half, but the Japanese side were unable to break down a disciplined Naegohyang defence and failed to record a single shot on target.
The Asian Women’s Champions League, which had its inaugural season in 2024-25, offers prize money of $1 million to champions. Naegohyang captain Kim, who finished the tournament with joint-top four goals, was named the player of the tournament.
“I’m very honoured to win the MVP. However, this result does not belong to me alone. It belongs to the team and the coaching staff. We just kept pushing ourselves until the end,” Kim said. The victory also means that Naegohyang have qualified for next year’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup as well as the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup in 2028, with both tournaments featuring teams from around the world. Naegohyang are the first women’s club team from North Korea to compete at the continental level.
North Korea have long been a dominant force in women’s football and won three Women’s Asian Cup titles in the 2000s. They were banned from the 2015 World Cup after five players tested positive for prohibited substances at the 2011 edition of the tournament.