North football coaches laud Kim's 'loving care' as Asian title driving force

North Korean football coaches pointed to the “loving care and benevolence” of their state leader Kim Jong-un as a driving force behind their victory in the AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL), according to the state-run media on Thursday.

The Korean Central News Agency released interviews with the Naegohyang Women's FC manager and head coach, which detailed the team's path to the title and the format of the competition.

The North Korean team defeated South Korea’s Suwon FC Women 2-1 on May 20 and claimed the championship with a 1-0 victory over Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza on May 23.

“The victory in the league is a fruition of the ardent patriotism of the players to further glorify their motherland as well as their strong spiritual strength,” the manager and head coach answered, when asked what led to their victory.

They also referred to Kim’s recent visit to a friendly match involving the club and other North Korean women’s football teams. Kim posed for a commemorative photograph with players.

“The loving care and benevolence of […] Kim Jong-un are encouraging all of them to [make] more remarkable sports successes,” they said. They additionally noted that Kim’s interests and encouragement were the key driving force behind the team's success. 

Although General Manager Hyon Chol Yun and Head Coach Yi Yu Il have been identified as the subjects of this interview, their names were not directly mentioned in the article.

The report also omitted the fact that Naegohyang's AWCL semifinal and final were held in Suwon, South Korea.

North Korea has increasingly leveraged the international success of its women's national and club football teams as a propaganda tool.

On Tuesday, North Korean media extensively covered Kim's visit to an exhibition match between Naegohyang Women's FC and the national under-17 women's team held at Central Cadres Training School of the Workers' Party of Korea. The event was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the party's founding. Footage released at the time showed several players becoming emotional and shedding tears after meeting Kim.

Following the team’s victory, North Korean authorities also staged welcome events for the squad at the airport and across Pyongyang.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]