Seoul: North Korea will send its athletes to compete in South Korea for the first time in 12 years, an official told Anadolu on Monday. The North Korean women's football club will play at a regional tournament in South Korea later this month in a rare sports exchange between the two countries.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Korea Football Association (KFA), the governing body of football and futsal within South Korea, announced that Naegohyang Women's FC will travel to Suwon, approximately 30 kilometers south of Seoul. They are set to face Suwon FC Women in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League on May 20 at Suwon Stadium. The delegation, consisting of 27 players and 12 club staff members, is scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport via Beijing on May 17. The championship final is set to be held on May 23 at the Suwon venue.

Naegohyang Women's FC previously defeated Suwon FC Women 3-0 during their group-stage meeting on November 12 in Myanmar. Historically, the North Korean women's national team visited South Korea in 2005 and 2013 for the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Women's Football Championship.

An official at the Ministry of Unification in Seoul confirmed to Anadolu that North Korea last sent its women's soccer team to South Korea in 2014. The team participated in the 2014 Asian Games held in Incheon, a city near Seoul. During that event, the North Korean team secured a gold medal by defeating Japan.

South Korea hosted the EAFF competition in 2019 and is scheduled to do so again in 2025; however, North Korea withdrew from both events.