Watch | Stone-faced winning AFC Champions League, then weeping with Kim Jong-Un: North Korean women’s football team’s emotional homecoming

Posted on by Taiwo Adebulu

2 min readUpdated: Jun 3, 2026 08:14 PM IST

North Korean women’s footballers, who maintained a composed demeanour during their South Korea visit, were visibly emotional when they met with leader Kim Jong-Un back home following their continental title win.

SEE VIDEO HERE

Players and coaches of the Naegohyang Women’s FC and North Korea’s U-17 women’s national team met Kim Jong-Un ahead of a friendly match between the two sides on Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state-run news outlet. Kim congratulated the squads and expressed hope for more titles in future competitions.

KCNA reported that Kim “warmly took the trustworthy women players, proud daughters of the motherland, into his arms” and posed for photographs with the teams before the match.

The road to the title

Naegohyang Women’s FC had earlier travelled to South Korea for an AFC Women’s Champions League fixture against Suwon FC Women, which they won, advancing to the final. They went on to defeat Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza by 1-0 to claim the championship title.

The championship carries a $1 million prize, but local media have reported that it remains unclear whether the funds can be transferred to North Korea under UN sanctions restrictions. The AFC has not publicly commented on the issue.

The Naegohyang players were the first North Korean athletes to visit South Korea in eight years, since the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

Contrasting reactions

The emotional scenes at home stood in contrast to the team’s notably subdued appearance during their visit to South Korea, where the players had remained stone-faced throughout their stay.

The Express Global Desk at indianexpress.com which delivers authoritative, verified, and context-driven coverage of key international developments shaping global politics, policy, and migration trends. The desk focuses on stories with direct relevance for Indian and global audiences, combining breaking news with in-depth explainers and analysis.

A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students.

All reporting from the Global Desk adheres to The Indian Express’ editorial standards, relying on official data, government notifications, court documents, and on-record sources. The desk prioritises clarity, accuracy, and accountability, ensuring readers can navigate complex global systems with confidence.

Core Team

The Express Global Desk is led by a team of experienced journalists and editors with deep expertise in international affairs and migration policy:

Aniruddha Dhar – Senior Assistant Editor with extensive experience in global affairs, international politics, and editorial leadership.

Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage.

Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. … Read More

Stay updated with the latest – Click here to follow us on Instagram

More details here...

Related Posts