South Korea’s national team held North Korea to a 1-1 draw in their third and final group stage match at the Asian Games in Japan on Monday. Both sides had already secured qualification for the quarter-finals, having beaten Myanmar and Bangladesh, leaving yesterday’s clash to determine the final ranking of Group F.
Shin Sangwoo’s South Korea squad opened their Asian Games campaign last week by preserving the country’s 100% win record against Myanmar. Seoul City’s Kim Minji scored a hat-trick, with additional goals from Gyeongju KHNP captain Jang Selgi and Suwon FC’s Choe Yuri.
In South Korea’s second match, their first ever encounter with Bangladesh, there were six goals and six goalscorers, including a debut international goal for Hyun Seulgi (Gyeongju KHNP). Keeper Kim Minjung wasn’t kept particularly busy as she recorded a second clean sheet.
North Korea also came into the final group stage match with a perfect record, having beaten Myanmar and Bangladesh comfortably by 8-0 and 10-0, respectively.
When it comes to inter-Korean women’s football, it is North Korea that has the superior record. In the 21 meetings between the two sides prior to Monday’s clash, South Korea has won just once, while North Korea has won sixteen times, so it was no great surprise when Chae Unyong put them ahead in the first half, scoring from a corner.
Suwon FC’s Yoon Soojung came on as a substitute after half time and immediately made an impact, scoring an equaliser in the 46th minute of play. Yoon’s goal was the first (and so far, only) conceded by North Korea in this tournament. Both teams worked hard to find a winner, with national pride motivating both sides despite the result being largely inconsequential in terms of the tournament itself, but despite chances at both ends, the match concluded at 1-1. South Korea finished second in Group F, with North Korea’s superior goal difference bagging them the top spot.
South Korea will face Uzbekistan in their quarter final this Friday evening in Osaka. The two teams last met in March in the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, with South Korea winning that match 6-0. The winning side will meet either Japan or the Philippines in the semi-finals.
Earlier the same day, North Korea will play Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) in their quarter-final, with the winner to meet either China or Vietnam in the semis.
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