Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Tuesday that he hopes North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Club will win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League final against a Japanese team.
Chung made the remarks while meeting with reporters at the Government Complex in Seoul. Naegohyang advanced to the final after defeating South Korea's Suwon FC Women 2-1 at Suwon Sports Complex the previous day, and will face a Japanese team in the championship match. "They beat Suwon and advanced to the final, so I hope they win the championship if possible," Chung said. "They happen to be facing Japan, so please give them strong support."
Chung plans to watch the final on television rather than attend in person, as he did with the previous day's semifinal. "In line with the spirit of the AFC's open letter, which asked for cooperation to ensure the matches proceed smoothly as pure sporting events excluding political circumstances, I will send only my heart," he explained.
Regarding the North Korean players showing no response to cheers from the South Korean joint cheering squad, Chung said, "Rather than scrutinizing each detail, I believe we all share the same sentiment." He added, "I hope we cheer together with warm hearts and wrap things up well, leaving a good precedent."
On the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea as early as next week, Chung said, "Faced with tectonic shifts in the Northeast Asian situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, this is the time to strategically and deeply consider stability, peace and co-prosperity on the peninsula."
Responding to concerns that South Korea may be sidelined amid such geopolitical shifts, Chung emphasized, "Some are worried about whether our voice is being properly reflected and what kind of leading role we are playing, but that is not the case." He continued, "Just as the U.S. stock market immediately reflected developments related to the Samsung Electronics labor union yesterday and the whole world is paying attention, Korea's economic standing has risen, and our national stature and prestige have also been elevated. The owner of Korean Peninsula issues is the Korean Peninsula itself."
