North Korea's Naegohyang FC Defeats Suwon 2-1, Becomes First North Korean Club to Reach Women's ACL Final

North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC defeated South Korea's Suwon FC Women 2-1 at Suwon Sports Complex on May 20, 2026, in the AFC Women's Champions League semi-final — a historic inter-Korean sporting encounter, the first between the two countries on South Korean soil since 2018. Suwon took the lead in the 49th minute, but Naegohyang leveled through a Choe Kum-ok header in the 55th minute and took the lead on a Kim Kyong-yong header in the 67th minute. Suwon captain Ji So-yun missed a late penalty that could have forced extra time. Naegohyang will face Tokyo Verdy Beleza of Japan in the AWCL final on May 24 at the same Suwon Sports Complex — remaining on South Korean soil — with a $1 million prize at stake. The result makes Naegohyang the first North Korean women's club to reach the Women's Asian Champions League final. The match, attended by 7,087 spectators (all tickets had sold out within hours of release), was closely watched as a diplomatic barometer: South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young described the event as 'setting a good precedent in inter-Korean relations.' The DPRK delegation's extended presence in South Korea through the May 24 final represents the longest such inter-Korean athletic contact since the 2018 Asian Games unified teams.