N. Korean Women's Football Team to Visit S. Korea for AFC Match

SEOUL, May 14 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry on Thursday approved a planned visit by a North Korean women's football team to the country, officials said.

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. The ministry said the approval was issued for the 39 North Korean players and staff members, covering their stay from Sunday through May 24. 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, the release read.

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. on May 23.