From senior championships to youth titles, North Korea has built one of Asia’s most successful women’s football programs
North Korea may be far away from international football, but its women’s teams rarely need much time to reestablish themselves as one of Asia’s strongest. And South Korea knows that better than most.
Before the two sides met in their final Group F match at the Asian Games in Japan on Monday afternoon, South Korea had beaten North Korea just once in 21 meetings, with four draws and 16 losses.
South Korea’s only win came more than two decades ago, a 1-0 victory at the 2005 East Asian Football Championship. North Korea has dominated the rivalry ever since, using aggressive pressing, physical play and pace on the counterattack.
The teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. South Korea took an early lead but went down to 10 players before halftime, allowing North Korea to score four unanswered goals and win 4-1. The defeat ended South Korea’s hopes of winning a fourth straight bronze medal.
But North Korea’s dominance over South Korea is only part of its long history of success in women’s football.
North Korea has won the Women’s Asian Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 2001 and 2003 before reclaiming the title in 2008. It also has three Asian Games gold medals, won in 2002, 2006 and 2014.
Its success runs just as deep at the youth level.
North Korea is the only country to have won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup three times, taking the title in 2006, 2016 and 2024. Its under-17 team has matched that feat, winning in 2008, 2016 and 2024.
Those two titles in 2024 showed that North Korea continues to nurture top talent despite spending long periods away from international competition. It also became the first country to win the women’s under-17 and under-20 World Cups in the same year.
Several players from that generation have since joined the senior team, adding fresh talent to a squad already known for its intensity and aggressiveness.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
