SUWON: North Korean side Naegohyang FC’s coach Ri Yu-il credited the nation’s ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s support for the team’s success after they won the Asian Women’s Champions League by beating Tokyo Verdy Beleza.

Naegohyang beat Tokyo Verdy 1-0 in Suwon, South Korea, on Saturday, with forward Kim Kyong-Yong netting the only goal of the match.

“Naegohyang have been around for only 14 years. And we were able to reach number one in Asia today because of the warm love and support of the party we so respect,” Ri told reporters after the match. “I think I was able to return at least a little bit of such huge love and trust as head coach representing our players.

“I am truly overjoyed. I am so proud of my players for overcoming so much adversity and following my lead for this moment. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us become number one.”

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.

Ri said his team had not thought much about the significance of their trip to South Korea, adding: “We played here thanks to measures taken by the Asian Football Confederation.

“My players and I spent every moment here working hard to accomplish our goal, and we were able to do just that. We only thought about football, about winning this title and about our club’s development.”

Naegohyang’s victory also means they have qualified for next year’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.

“We can celebrate today but after this, we will put the win behind us and look to keep improving the team and the players,” Ri said. “Our players are young and still make a lot of mistakes and we have to make them learn from that.”

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026