South Korean Women's Football Coach 'Hurt' by Home Crowd Support for North Korea After Semi-Final Loss

South Korean women's football team Suwon FC was defeated by North Korea's Naegohyang team in the AFC Women's Champions League semi-final yesterday. Head coach Park Gil-yeong emotionally stated he was 'very hurt' by the cheers for the North Korean team at their home ground.

According to AFP, this was the first time in eight years a North Korean sports team has set foot in South Korea and the first time the two Koreas' women's football teams have played each other in the South, drawing high public interest. The 7,087 general admission tickets released last week sold out within hours.

The semi-final was held at the open-air Suwon Sports Complex Stadium, with an official attendance of 5,763 in heavy rain.

A cheer squad, formed by civic groups with the support of South Korea's Ministry of Unification, saw hundreds waving flags with 'Naegohyang' printed on them and shouting their support. Several banners welcoming the North Korean team were also displayed.

Although Suwon also had fans present, they were clearly outnumbered.

Park Gil-yeong stated that the attention surrounding the match affected his players' performance. 'We are the Suwon Women's Football Club of the Republic of Korea,' he said, fighting back his emotions.

'Throughout the entire match, our players and staff felt very hurt.'

There were no away supporters from North Korea at the match, as North Koreans are generally not permitted to enter the South, and the two countries have technically been at war since 1950.

Naegohyang came from a goal down to win the match, securing a spot in the final on the 23rd in Suwon against Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza.

With about 10 minutes remaining, Suwon's captain, Ji So-yun, missed a penalty kick that would have been an equalizer.

Naegohyang is coached by Ri Yu Il, a former head coach of the North Korean women's national team. He said the atmosphere in the stadium added a special meaning to the match.

'It was a very intense game, and we were so focused that we didn't have the spare mental capacity to think about the cheers in the stadium,' Ri said. 'But I could feel that the people here have a very high passion for football.'