‘Tearing down barriers’: North Korean footballers arrive in Seoul for first time in eight years

A North Korean women’s football club has arrived in South Korea for an AFC Women’s Champions League semi-final, marking the first visit by athletes from the isolated state to the South in eight years.

The delegation of 27 players and 12 staff entered the country on Sunday before Wednesday’s match between Naegohyang FC and South Korea’s Suwon FC Women in Suwon.

The visit has been approved under the inter-Korean exchange law and covers the players’ stay until next weekend, though the team could leave earlier if eliminated, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.

Public interest has been strong, with all 7,087 tickets made available to the general public selling out within a day, according to Yonhap news agency, citing South Korea’s football federation.

North Korea has in recent years labelled South Korea its “most hostile state”, and ruled out reuniting the nation split by the 1950-1953 Korean war. By contrast, the South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, has called for improved ties.

“It may be difficult to hope for a complete thaw in strained relations by this one-time visit,” said a spokesperson for South Korea’s ruling Democratic party, vowing to make efforts to open the door for exchanges and dialogue.

“We hope it will serve as an opportunity to tear down high barriers between the South and the North,” the spokesperson said.

Members of the Korean Peace Solidarity for Sovereignty and Reunification group hold up banners reading: 'Welcome North Korean soccer club Naegohyang Women's FC team' at Incheon airport. Photograph: Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA

South Korea’s government has said it will keep its role limited, given the fixture is an international club competition, but will provide logistical support for the visiting team.

The unification ministry said it has set aside 300m won ($200,000) from an inter-Korean cooperation fund to support a cheering squad for both sides, citing the event’s potential to promote mutual understanding between the two Koreas.

As the match is between clubs and not national teams, it will not feature national anthems or political symbols, including the Korean Unification flag, in line with Asian Football Confederation rules.

The white flag bearing a blue silhouette of the peninsula has often been used in international sports fixtures involving both sides to represent unity.

Seoul’s unification minister, Chung Dong-young, is considering attending the match, according to South Korean media.