Civil society groups form 'joint support team' for SuwonFC Wi-min and North Korea Naegohyang: "Reports of 300 million won government support are misleading"

*This content was translated by AI.

A coalition of civil society organizations, including the Council for Inter-Korean Cooperation (North-South Cooperation Council), and 200 other groups, including The Hankyoreh Unification Culture Foundation, announced the formation of a joint support team for SuwonFC Wi-min and the North Korea Naegohyang Women's Football Team.

The Council for Inter-Korean Cooperation, the National Council for National Reconciliation and Cooperation, the Citizen Peace Forum, the Independent Peace and Unification Alliance, and over 200 other groups decided on the 14th to form a joint support team for the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) after holding two meetings on the 11th and 13th.

These groups stated, "We aim to contribute to the successful hosting of this tournament, which has garnered national attention and global focus, and to raise interest in women's football." They explained, "The official name for the semi-final support team will be 'Joint Support Team for SuwonFC Wi-min and Naegohyang Women's Football Team.'"

They further added, "Regardless of the outcome, we will cheer hard to realize the two great spirits of sports: fair play and peace." They noted, "The joint support team will consist of approximately 3,000 members. We will do our best to create a joyful and moving atmosphere together with citizens visiting the stadium. We will faithfully follow AFC guidelines while cheering for both teams by calling out their names and the names of their players."

These groups plan to cheer not only at the match between SuwonFC and Naegohyang scheduled for the 20th at Suwon Sports Complex, but also at the tournament final to be held at the same venue on the 23rd at 2 p.m. The winner of the SuwonFC Wi-min vs. Naegohyang match will compete for the championship against the winner of the Melbourne City (Australia) vs. Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan) match.

Regarding recent reports suggesting the government would provide 300 million won from the inter-Korean cooperation fund to the private support team, the groups clarified that "this is misleading."

The joint support team side explained, "The formation of the support team was not initiated by a government request but was driven by civil society groups first, followed by consultations with the government." They added, "The starting point for this formation was when Korean citizens voluntarily formed a support team to cheer alongside overseas Koreans at the AFC Women's Asian Cup held in Australia last March."

They then stated, "We wish to clarify that some media reports claiming 'Government provides 300 million won support to private groups cheering for the North Korea football team' are misleading." They emphasized, "Our support team cheers for the success of both teams, not a specific one."

The Naegohyang Women's Football Team, currently training in Beijing, China, is scheduled to enter the country via Incheon International Airport on the 17th. The delegation, consisting of 27 players and 12 staff members totaling 39 people, marks the first time a North Korea team has visited Korea for a match since the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Grand Finals held in Incheon in December 2018, a gap of 7 years and 5 months. This is also the first visit by a North Korea women's football team to the South since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, a span of 12 years.

Meanwhile, SuwonFC Wi-min and Naegohyang Football Team held the first-ever inter-Korean club match last November. In the Group C second match of the AWCL held in Yangon, Myanmar, SuwonFC Wi-min suffered a decisive 0-3 defeat. At the time, the shot count also showed a significant gap of 4-17. The AWCL was previously operated as the AFC Women's Club Championship but has been officially held as the AWCL since the 2024-2025 season. Last season, Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels reached the semi-finals. The inaugural champion was Wuhan Jiangda from China.

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*This content was translated by AI.