North Korean club Naegohyang wins AFC Women's Champions League

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- After guiding his North Korean club Naegohyang Women's FC to the summit of Asian women's football Saturday, head coach Ri Yu-il thanked the communist regime's ruling party for its support.

Naegohyang defeated Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul. Naegohyang knocked off the South Korean side Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semifinals on Wednesday -- the first match between women's football clubs of the two Koreans to take place on South Korean soil -- and then their captain Kim Kyong-yong scored the match's only goal in the 44th minute for the AFC title and US$1 million in prize money.

Kim was also named the MVP of the tournament.

At the postmatch press conference, Ri said his club wouldn't have been able to win the AFC title alone.

"Naegohyang have been around for only 14 years. And we were able to reach No. 1 in Asia today because of the warm love and support of the party we so respect," Ri said in reference to the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang. "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," Ri added. "I would like to thank everyone who has helped us become No. 1."

Naegohyang were the first North Korean women's football club to travel to South Korea for a competition, and their presence sparked so much national interest south of border that the government purchased thousands of tickets for civic group members to form cheering squads.

Ri, however, downplayed the significance of his club's trip to South Korea.

"We played here thanks to measures taken by the AFC. My players and I spent every moment here working hard to accomplish our goal, and we were able to do just that," Ri said. "We only thought about football, about winning this title and about our club's development. We didn't have time to think about anything else."

Ri said winning the AFC title is only the beginning for his young club.

"The award ceremony is already over, and we have to tackle new challenges," Ri said. "We will try our best to accomplish even bigger feats on the world stage."

Ri abruptly ended the press conference, however, when a reporter began a question calling his country "the North."

At international sporting events, North Korean athletes and officials have taken exception to having their country referred to as North Korea or the North by South Korean or non-Korean journalists. North Koreans have claimed their country should be called by its full official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or at least DPR Korea.

At both the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournament, Ri, then coaching the North Korean women's national team, refused to take questions from South Korean reporters who called his country "North Korea."