*This content was translated by AI.
SuwonFC Weimin of the WK League is just one step away from advancing to the finals of the AFC Women's Asian Champions League (AWCL). This achievement will be etched not only in the history of the SuwonFC Weimin club but also in the history of women's industrial football in the WK League and women's football in the Republic of Korea. They have also secured an unparalleled advantage by being able to play both the semi-finals and the finals at home.
However, an unexpected controversy is now rocking the tournament. Groups have emerged that have taken it upon themselves to support the North Korea Hometown Women's Football Team, which is visiting the South, rather than SuwonFC Weimin. This marks the first time in 7 years and 5 months that a North Korean team has visited the South for a competition across all sports, since the Tak Gu (CEO) team participated in the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in December 2018. In terms of women's football teams, this is the first visit since the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
Given that State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un defined inter-Korean relations as 'two hostile states' at the end of 2023, it was initially uncertain whether the Hometown team would even visit the South. This is why public interest began to focus once the Hometown team's visit was confirmed. The problem is that the match has begun to be endowed with meaning beyond a simple competition for victory and defeat. The emergence of groups that have stepped forward to support the 'North Korea team' Hometown, rather than the Korean team SuwonFC Weimin, is in the same vein.
The situation became even more peculiar when the government announced it would provide as much as 300 million won in support to groups that had stepped forward to support the North Korea team. Aware of the controversy surrounding 'public fund support,' these groups issued a statement on the 14th announcing the formation of a 'Joint Support Group for SuwonFC Weimin and Hometown,' clarifying that "reports by some media outlets suggesting that the government will provide 300 million won to support private groups cheering for the North Korea football team are open to misunderstanding. Our support group cheers for the success of both teams, not a specific team."
The problem is that this match is not a simple event-style friendly game, but a decisive single match where victory and defeat are determined, and advancement to or elimination from the finals is decided. SuwonFC Weimin has also been sweating steadily to reach the semi-finals of this tournament, including the group stage held in Myanmar last year. It is also an opportunity to avenge the defeat they suffered against Hometown in the group stage.
In this context, they have unexpectedly found themselves facing groups that claim to be a joint support group including the opponent. It is reported that the joint support group is even preparing to wave the flag with slogans such as "Well done, Suwon" and "Go, Hometown," along with wave-style cheering. A football industry official expressed regret, saying, "This is the highest authority women's football tournament organized by the AFC and a real-life stage where elimination is decided. Things that would only happen in North-South friendly matches played for peace are occurring here."
However, it is also uncertain whether this visit by Hometown will open the door to 'disrupted inter-Korean dialogue' as expected by some. This is because analyses suggesting that the background of Hometown's decision to visit the South was based on 'careful calculation' are gaining credibility. If they were to abstain from the finals despite reaching the semi-finals simply because the host country is South Korea, they would face penalties such as fines from the AFC. On the other hand, if they reach the finals, Hometown can secure a runner-up prize of 500,000 dollars (approximately 750 million won), and the winning prize can reach 1 million dollars (approximately 1.5 billion won). This is the background for the weight given to the idea that the visit was made solely to choose the 'practical benefits' according to the tournament results.
The fact that the Hometown football team has been known to be uncooperative during the visit is in the same vein. It is uncertain whether the entry process of the 39th-member Hometown team through Incheon International Airport on the 17th will be made public. It is reported that the Hometown side requested to change the accommodation, which was assigned to the same place as SuwonFC Weimin, to an independent accommodation, requesting non-disclosure of schedules outside the match. Even the attendance or public disclosure of official tournament schedules such as pre-match press conferences or public training sessions remains unclear. A team that has visited the South solely to choose the practical benefits of winning the tournament is instead being supported with prepared slogans and even public funds.
The AFC's concerns appear to have become reality. According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), the AFC sent an official letter to the KFA on the 7th stating, "We understand the special relationship between South Korea and North Korea, but all priorities must be on football," and "We urge that it be conducted as a pure sports event, separated from external political situations." However, even now, 'non-football' elements such as the announcement of joint support groups by groups completely unrelated to football and government support for these groups are rocking the tournament.
What is most regrettable in the current situation and atmosphere are SuwonFC Weimin and their fans, who are facing an important showdown. A club official stated, "The formation of the SuwonFC Weimin-Hometown Football Team Joint Support Group was not coordinated with the club at all. SuwonFC fans will cheer for SuwonFC Weimin from the spectator seats, just like in other matches. This is not a friendly match but a formal tournament."
The SuwonFC Supporters also emphasized, "In this AWCL semi-final, SuwonFC Weimin must be respected as a football team, not as a target of politics or ideology. We plan to proceed with SuwonFC-only support as usual, without any diplomatic issues or political derogation. The name of the opposing team in the support song will also be 'Pyongyang' (the hometown of the Hometown Football Team)."
SuwonFC Weimin and Hometown will clash at 7 p.m. on the 20th at Suwon Sports Complex. The team that wins this match will compete for the championship on the 23rd against the winner of the Melbourne City (Australia)-Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan) match. On the 14th, the government approved the visit of 39 members of the Hometown team. The period is from the 17th, the day of entry, to the 24th. However, if they lose to SuwonFC Weimin and are eliminated in the semi-finals, they are scheduled to depart early regardless of the approved period.
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*This content was translated by AI.
