The South Korean government will provide 300 million won to support civic groups cheering for North Korea's women's football team "My Hometown Women's Football Club" during its upcoming visit to the South.
"After the news of the My Hometown Football Club's visit was made public, civic groups made requests related to cheering," a Ministry of Unification official said Wednesday. "Considering that this event can contribute to promoting mutual understanding between the two Koreas, the government has decided to provide 300 million won from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to the cheering squad."
The funding will cover items needed for cheering, including tickets and cheering tools. "It is difficult to confirm the specific number of civic groups involved in the cheering participation," the official said, adding that "a total of about 2,500 people, including separated families and exchange and cooperation groups, are included."
"The 300 million won determined by the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund Management Review Committee will be disbursed to the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Support Association, which will then provide support to individual groups," the official explained.
Regarding the application for permission to visit the South submitted by the My Hometown Football Club, the official said the approval is expected to be granted within this week.
The My Hometown Football Club will visit South Korea from the 17th to participate in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) on the 20th of this month. This will mark the first visit by a North Korean sports team to the South in eight years, since the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Grand Finals in December 2018.
