▲ South Korea's Yun Su-jung scores the equalizer during the women's football group stage match between South Korea and North Korea at the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the 21st.
Novice forward Yun Su-jung (24, Suwon FC Women), who has made only five appearances for the South Korean women's national football team, has left a strong impression by scoring a vital goal that secured precious points against formidable North Korea.
Playing in the third Group F match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games against North Korea at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, today (the 21st), Yun stepped up to score the equalizer just 48 seconds into the second half while trailing 0-1, helping end the match in a 1-1 draw.
Yun, a flank attacker, was selected for the senior national team for the first time this year and played her fifth A-match today.
She had never been selected for age-group national teams and did not stand out significantly, having been picked outside the draft rounds by Changnyeong WFC in the 2024 WK League rookie draft.
After transferring to Suwon FC last year without making any notable impact, she caught attention with her speed and sharp movements in May this year when she got an opportunity in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) semifinal against North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Club held in Suwon.
This opportunity led to her first selection for the senior national team in June, where she scored her debut goals with a multi-goal performance against Chinese Taipei in her second A-match at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship.
Now, just three months later, she has competed in her first career Asian Games and even scored a goal.
South Korea, which holds a heavily trailing head-to-head record against women's football powerhouse North Korea with 1 win, 5 draws, and 16 losses including today's match, last scored against North Korea—excluding an opponent own goal—9 years ago in April 2017 during the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers (a 1-1 draw, goal scored by Jang Seul-gi).
Head coach Shin Sang-woo explained, "Yun Su-jung is a player who can create a turning point. If we hadn't conceded in the first half, I would have used the starting lineup a bit longer, but after conceding, we needed a change to turn the game around. Since Yun has been showing good form, I boldly deployed her as a game-changer."
Rated for her excellent speed enabling diverse breakthroughs and her great attacking sense, Yun quickly burst into the penalty area the moment Choe Yu-ri delivered a pass in the scoring sequence, taking a shot without hesitation.
Meeting reporters in the mixed zone after the match, Yun shared the credit, saying, "As soon as I stepped onto the pitch, Yu-ri unni gave me a great ball. I didn't expect it to unfold like that, but she passed it well into the space I was moving toward, which led to a good touch and allowed me to score."
Reflecting on the match, she stated, "Since I knew what style North Korean players have from my AWCL experience against Naegohyang, it felt a bit more comfortable today. The national team analysts did a great job analyzing, and the unnis helped me out, so I was able to play comfortably."
Introducing herself as "a player who might seem ordinary, but extraordinary," Yun expressed her determination, saying, "I like the 'attacking style' of Yu-ri unni, who is also on my club team. Unni has outstanding speed and a great personality, so I want to learn a lot from her. I will continue to grow into an even better player."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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