Naegohyang women's club players received a hero's welcome in Pyongyang on 26/5 after winning the AFC Women’s Champions League, the Asian women's club championship hosted in South Korea. Officials, sports leaders, and relatives of the players gathered at Pyongyang International Airport to welcome them, North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on 27/5.
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The players then boarded a large red bus, adorned with flowers and bearing a banner that read, "Warmly welcome the girls who brought glory to the nation". The bus paraded through many areas of the capital Pyongyang, including Jeontong, Birch Tree, Gaeseong, Changjeon, and Munsu streets, amidst crowds waving flags and flowers along both sides of the road.
KCNA described the atmosphere: "A wave of joyful welcome for the reliable women players, who once again shook Asian women's football, flooded the capital's streets. Workers, students, and children enthusiastically waved their hands in congratulations".
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North Koreans take to the streets to welcome Naegohyang players in Pyongyang, 26/5. *Photo: KCNA* |
Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, also published photos of the smiling team arriving at Pyongyang airport and scenes of people holding children as they faced the team's bus.
In the semifinal match on 20/5, cheered on by an inter-Korean fan group supported by the South Korean Ministry of Unification, Naegohyang came from behind to defeat Suwon FC Women (South Korea) two-one. They then beat Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan) one-zero in the final on 23/5.
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A father holds his child, welcoming the women players home in Pyongyang. *Photo: KCNA* |
According to South Korean media, throughout their 8-day, 7-night trip in the country, the Naegohyang players maintained serious expressions and were reserved. The team once walked out of a press conference to protest how North Korea was referred to.
Earlier this month, North Korea also won the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, securing their 5th title, more than any other nation.
Duc Trung (According to KCNA, Yonhap, Chosun)
