In the women's 70kg judo class at the Asian Games, North Korea's Moon Seong-hee wins thanks to South Korea's Kim Hye-mi's foul loss.

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Myeong-hoon = The match between North and South Korean female athletes in the judo event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games ended in vain with Korea's unexpected 'foul loss'.

Moon Seong-hee (24) of the North Korean judo team defeated Korea's Kim Hye-mi (31, Gwangju Transportation Corporation) in the women's 70kg round of 16 held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan on the 1st.

Moon Seong-hee won easily after 1 minute and 48 seconds of the start of the game when Kim Hye-mi was declared to have lost by foul due to accumulating guidance three times.

Kim Hye-mi, who was competing in the Asian Games for the first time, tried to attack her 'powerful enemy' Moon Seong-hee with a quick attack, but an unexpected foul loss forced her to postpone her dream of winning the Asian Games gold medal until later.

In particular, he tried to avenge the upset defeat he suffered from Moon Seong-hee in the second round of the Bangkok Asian Championships in April last year, but was unable to achieve his goal.

Moon Seong-hee, the silver medalist at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is North Korea's medal hopeful, showing off her peak skills by winning the Asian Championships held in China this year.

North Korea's state-run media outlets, the Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun, reported the news of Moon Seong-hee's win at the Asian Championships and reported in detail not only the results of the game but also news of her return to Korea.

After finishing the game after the referee's decision, the two players only exchanged formal greetings on the mat and turned their backs.

North Korea appears to strictly block contact with South Korean media as well as players and officials during this tournament.

It is reported that even in the sport of judo, there are almost no opportunities for contact between South and North Korean athletes.