North Korean women’s football club returns to South Korea for AFC semifinal

A North Korean women’s football club arrived in South Korea on Sunday to compete in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League, marking the first visit by a North Korean sports team in about eight years. The Naegohyang Women’s FC squad, based in Pyongyang, landed at Incheon International Airport near Seoul after traveling from Beijing, with 39 people in the delegation, including 27 players and staff members.

After entering South Korea under police escort and passing through an airport perimeter lined by media and supporters, the team boarded a bus and departed for Suwon, where it will face Suwon FC Women on Wednesday. The match is being staged as a club competition, not a national encounter, and officials said South Korean rules will be followed regarding public use of North Korean symbols. Local reporting indicated national flags and anthems will not be used during the game.

The government of South Korea approved the visit under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, allowing the delegation to remain in the country through May 24, with the group’s stay extended if it reaches the final scheduled for Saturday at the Suwon Sports Complex....