Could a soccer match help mend ties between North and South Korea?

AsiaCould a soccer match help mend ties between North and South Korea?A North Korean women’s soccer team will take the field Wednesday in South Korea, a rare cross-border clash as leader Kim Jong Un pursues a more hostile policy toward his neighbor.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleNorth Korea opens memorial for soldiers who fought in Ukraine war00:39Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 20, 2026, 3:21 AM EDTBy Jay GanglaniRivals. Neighbors. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.It’s a storied sporting narrative, but one that has rarely carried such meaning.A North Korean women’s soccer team will take the field Wednesday in South Korea, becoming the first sports team from the isolated, nuclear-armed state to visit the democratic south in eight years. The rare clash has generated intense interest, offering a high-profile showcase for not only the prowess of Kim Jong Un’s regime but also efforts to keep building ties between these two countries that are technically still at war.Kim is pursuing a more hostile policy toward U.S. ally South Korea, cementing his neighbor as the north’s “primary foe” and rebuffing repeated attempts at dialogue from South Korea’s liberal president, Lee Jae Myung.“We came here strictly to play the match,” said Ri Yu Il, coach of Pyongyang’s Naegohyang Women’s FC. Players from North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC arriving at Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Sunday.Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty ImagesNaegohyang will face South Korea’s Suwon FC Women on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League, a prestigious regional tournament.But it will be hard to keep attention solely on the field in Suwon, a city south of Seoul.Public interest in the rare North-South matchup has been high, with all 7,087 general admission tickets selling out within hours last week.Also in the stands w...