"Sure-Victory Choson!" Cheers Pierce Heavy Rain As North Korea Advances to Women's Football Final at Asian Games

Amid heavy rain, ethnic Korean cheering groups in Japan fueled North Korea's advance to the final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with chants of "Sure-Victory Choson!"

The North Korean women's football national team secured at least a silver medal by defeating China 2-0 in the semi-final held today (the 29th) at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Rain that began to fall at Stadium Ecopa on the afternoon of this day continued almost without stopping until the end of the match.

Perhaps due to the downpour, the North Korean cheering section, which had been limited to just a few dozen people until right before kickoff, steadily filled up and quickly swelled to around 300 people after the match started.

The cheering squad on this day was mainly composed of students from middle and high schools affiliated with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) in the Tokyo area.

To organize a large-scale cheering group for a daytime weekday match, Choson Sinbo, an organ of Chongryon, published an internet article the day before encouraging participation on-site, stating, "Let us become of one mind and deliver passionate support so that the athletes can display their best performance on the pitch."

Holding balloon sticks and North Korean flags, the cheering section hung banners reading "Let Us Display the Majesty of the Republic" and "Win, Choson," and enthusiastically sang cheering songs such as "We Are the Choson People," "It Is an Attack War," and "Let Us Go to Mount Paektu," boosting the morale of the North Korean players.

Some Chinese spectators near the main grandstand chanted slogans such as "Zhongguo Bisheng" (China Sure Victory) and "Jiayou" (Let's Go / Cheer Up), but they fell short of the organizational strength and vocal volume of the North Korean cheering squad.

North Korea, which had boasted an explosive offensive power by scoring a massive 24 goals in four matches up to the quarter-finals, struggled to find a breakthrough against the tough defense of a formidable Chinese opponent on this day.

China was a team that North Korea's manager Park Sung-jin selected as a "powerhouse" alongside South Korea and Japan during a press conference held ahead of the team's opening match of this tournament.

The four powerhouse teams chosen by Manager Park neatly filled up each of the four semi-final slots.

North Korea dominated the match by maintaining over 60 percent possession, but failed to easily showcase its scoring ability, blocked by China's defense, which actively utilized fouls even while picking up three yellow cards.

However, North Korea clinched a 2-0 victory, combining an own goal by China conceded during an aerial duel in the 8th minute of the second half with a goal by Myong Yu-jung in the 34th minute of the second half.

Immediately after the match ended, the squad ran toward the cheering section and expressed their gratitude for the passionate support.

Having confirmed their spot in the final, North Korea will play the gold medal match at the same stadium on October 2.

If South Korea wins the semi-final between South Korea and Japan held consecutively later that day, a second inter-Korean showdown of this tournament's women's football event will unfold.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.