North Korea–South Korea football rivalry



This article is about matches between North Korean and South Korean national football teams.

Beginning
Along with troubled relations between North Korea and South Korea, their competitive spirit also appeared in association football. South Korean government made its anti-communist football club Yangzee to develop the national football team more than North Korea's level just after North Korea left successful result in the 1966 FIFA World Cup by advancing to the quarter-finals, and South Korean football team won the 1970 Asian Games due to its effort. The first Korean derby occurred in the 1978 Asian Games final, and both countries shared the title after a 0–0 draw without penalty shoot-out.

In the early 1990s, however, the relationship and bond between both sides got better, and their cultural exchange became brisk including football. The two Koreas got friendly football matches, and fielded a joint football team at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship.

1994 World Cup qualification
Heading into the final qualifying match on 28 October 1993, South Korea was one point behind Japan (who defeated South Korea in the penultimate qualifier) and Saudi Arabia for one of the two Asian spots for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, while North Korea had already been eliminated. Goals from Ko Jeong-woon, Hwang Sun-hong and Ha Seok-ju in the second half gave South Korea a 3–0 win in the teams' final qualifying match for the 1994 World Cup. With Japan allowing a tying goal against Iraq late in its match, South Korea advanced to the 1994 World Cup on goal difference ahead of Japan.

2002 World Cup
Following their final match of the last round of the AFC qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup, North Korea withdrew from international football for five years, and did not again attempt to qualify for the World Cup before the 2006 edition. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which South Korea co-hosted with Japan, and in which North Korea did not take part, the South's team reportedly had "supporters in the North", and North Korean newspaper The People's Korea published DPR Korea Football Association chairman Ri Gwang-gun's congratulations to his South Korean counterpart on the South's "great success in the World Cup", which he described as "a striking demonstration of the advantages and tenacity of the Korean nation to the world". Glyn Ford, an expert on East Asia, has noted that when North Koreans "can't support North Korea they'll support South Korea. They'd prefer South Korea to win against anyone else, unless they're playing them. They're cheering for Koreans."

2010 World Cup
In 2008, on two occasions, a 2010 World Cup qualifying match between the two countries, due to be played in Pyongyang, had to be moved to Shanghai when authorities in the North refused to allow the South Korean national anthem to be played in Kim Il-sung Stadium, or the flag of South Korea to be flown. (North and South Korea have never granted each other formal diplomatic recognition.) When the teams met again the following year for a return game in Seoul, and the South won 1–0, the North's football association explained the defeat by accusing the South of having deliberately given food poisoning to several of its players.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, for which both Koreas qualified for the first time, it was reported that "at bars in central Seoul you could find groups of South Koreans cheering the North as loudly as their own team". South Korean captain Park Ji-sung stated: "I will watch the North Korean games. North Korea and South Korea speak the same language and actually we are the same country." In 2011, a poll revealed that an overwhelming majority of South Koreans backed the North's football team in their encounters against other countries; over 70% would support the North if it were to play against the United States, while only about 7% would support the U.S. in such a match. However, North Korea's military provocation which sometimes happen is still an aggravating factor for the relation with South Korea, and the tension between them continues whenever the derby is played.

North Korea failed to win over South Korea ever since its only victory in 1990. On the other hand, South Korea has only won once against North Korea in women's football, which was in a friendly match in 2005.

Men's matches
Both Koreas advanced to the final round of the Asian Football Confederation qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. They met on 28 October 1993, for what was to be their last encounter for over a decade. The South beat the North 3–0 and qualified, while North Korea finished last of the final round, prompting its temporary withdrawal from international football. Over the following two years, North Korea experienced the death of its leader, Kim Il-Sung, and the beginning of a severe famine.

Both Koreas advanced to the final tournament of the 2005 East Asian Football Championship, along with Japan and the P.R. China. The encounter between the two Koreas was a goalless draw. It was their first encounter since 1993.

Both Koreas advanced to the finals group of the 2008 East Asian Football Championship in Chongqing, People's Republic of China. Their encounter was a draw.

In the Asian Football Confederation qualifiers, North Korea advanced to the third round by defeating Mongolia 9–2 on aggregate, while South Korea was an automatic qualifier for that round, by virtue of being a top seed. The two Koreas were drawn together in group 3, from which they both qualified, eliminating Jordan and Turkmenistan. In round four, the two countries were again drawn together, in group B, and again topped their group together, thus both qualifying for the World Cup. In both rounds, as mentioned above, North Korea's home matches were moved to Shanghai due to the North refusing to allow the South's anthem and flag to appear in its home stadium. The first three games were draws; the South won the fourth, amidst accusations of food poisoning from the North.

North Korea and South Korea were once again grouped together in group H of the second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifications. On 15 October 2019, the rivals met in Pyongyang, North Korea, for the first time in 29 years, in an empty stadium. However, the return fixture, supposed to be held in Seoul, was unable to take part due to COVID-19 pandemic, which North Korea withdrew from the qualification, thus disqualified the country from the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Women's matches
North and South Korea met at the 2002 Asian Games, with the North defeating the South and going on to win the competition.

North and South Korea were drawn together in group A in the first round of the 2003 AFC Women's Championship, which also served as a qualifier for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. The game ended in a draw, but both Koreas advanced from the group. The North went on to win the Championship, and the two countries qualified for the World Cup.

The two Koreas met in Hiroshima in April 2004 during the qualifiers for the 2004 Summer Olympics women's football competition, for which neither of them ultimately qualified. The North won the match with a four-goal margin.

On 4 August 2005, the two Koreas' men's teams were meeting in the final tournament of the 2005 East Asian Football Championship, in Jeonju, in the South. On the same day, a match between the two countries' women's teams was held, albeit not as part of the tournament. While the men's match resulted in a draw, the women's resulted in South Korea's first (and so far only) victory over the North.

North and South were drawn together in group B of the 2006 Asian Cup in Adelaide, Australia. They met in their final match, both still with hopes of advancing. The North won by a single goal, topping the group and advancing, while the South was eliminated. North Korea would go on to win the Cup.

North and South Korea were drawn together in group B at the 2006 Asian Games in Al-Rayyan, Qatar. The North won the match, but both countries advanced, eliminating Chinese Taipei and Vietnam.

Both Koreas qualified for the finals group of the 2008 East Asian Football Championship in Chongqing, China. The North defeated the South by a four-goal margin.

The two Koreas met in the semi finals of the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. A 1–1 draw led to the match being extended, whereupon two goals by Ra Un Sim enabled the North to advance to the final.

The two Koreas were among the six teams to meet in the final round of the women's Asian qualifiers for the 2012 Summer Olympics. They played one match against each other, in Jinan, China. The North's 3–2 victory helped it to qualify in second place for the Olympics, while the South was ultimately eliminated, finishing fifth.

The two countries met in the final round, which was a round-robin tournament between the two Koreas, Japan and China. North Korea beat the South and China, drew against Japan, and won the Cup. After its loss to the North, South Korea beat Japan but lost to China, and finished third.

With North Korea hosting the qualification phase, South Korean team had to travel north, meaning for the first time since 1990, a senior team from the South to play against the North in North Korea. Heading to the qualifiers' expected encounter, North Korea had beaten India and Hong Kong while South Korea had just played its first match, a 10–0 win over India. The North Korean government allowed supporters to enter the stadium for this meeting, and this gave the North a major boost, ultimately resulting in the first half injury time goal by Sung Hyang-sim. However, South Korea had proven to be different than previous encounters, when a strictly disciplined Southern defence prevented the North from scoring a second. Not just that, Jang Sel-gi turned to become the heroine as she scored the decisive goal in 76', ultimately helped the South to draw the North 1–1. Despite failing to win, this draw proved to be the difference, as South Korea managed to overcome North Korea by goal differences with three more goals scored than the North, ultimately condemned North Korea to second and denied North Korea a place in the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup. South Korea would go on to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.