KOREAN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL THRUST INTO THE LIMELIGHT

A Chinese homepage on the Internet commented that women’s football of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea made startling achievements in international games in recent years, thus being thrust into the limelight of world football circles once again.

The Korean women’s football became the focus of the attention of football experts and fans ever since it made its international debut.

The Korean women won the gold medals in the 13^th AFC Asian Cup in 2001. In the championship they thrashed out the Singaporeans 24-0, record high in the 24-year-long Asian women’s football championships.

Many mass media around the world commented on the consecutive victories won by the Korean women in the 14^th Asian Games held in 2002 and the 14^th AFC Asian Cup in 2003, that theirs was the best team in the world.

The Korean team emerged victorious in the 3^rd FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship held in Moscow in 2006. It set an outstanding world record of the highest score while conceding only one goal during the championship.

They won consecutive victories in the following 15^th and 17^th Asian Games, 16^th AFC Asian Cup and the first world juvenile football championship.

The key to their meteoric rise to fame is, first of all, their spiritual strength.

The world media reported that the Korean team won the EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup in 2013.

It defeated the south Korean team 2-1, its goals made in the first half of the game. The players again gave full play to their abilities in high spirits in the match against the Japanese team, winner of the women’s World Cup held in Germany. Most of the entrants of Japan had participated in the World Cup final, but they were quite embarrassed by the Korean players. The same was the case with the Chinese team which conceded the opener less than two minutes after the game started. The Korean footballers played the game by taking the initiative and overpowering their Chinese opponents psychologically.

The Chinese Xinhua News Agency introduced that the Korean women’s football, the most mysterious in Asia, was attracting the attention of the world like a raging wildfire and it made a fresh start as the main force in the Asian and world football arena. It also noted that the Korean team’s indomitable spirit of neither giving up nor being afraid of others was a point others must learn from.

Another key is their stubbornness in the offensive and high skills.

In the 3^rd FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship in 2006 they defeated in the league match the German, Swiss and Mexican teams by great margins, and beat the Brazilian team with superior skills 1-0 by making breakthroughs from well-organized pass and counterattack blitz in the semifinal game.

The Korean women’s team emerged as the winner in the 17^th Asian Games in 2014 by defeating the world champion, the Japanese team, 3-1 in the final game. The Japanese captain confessed after the game that they had known before that the DPRK team was fast and strong.

The Korean players’ success is also attributable to their high sense of organization, esprit de corps, unyielding spirit and fortitude.

Many world media commented that the Korean football team was well organized and disciplined, and very strong in its overall offensive and defensive skills.

During the EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup held in 2013 in south Korea the DPRK team tided over the unfavourable circumstances in their match with south Korea, its eleven becoming one in mind and purpose and thus making a breakthrough for the victory.

In 2015 the Korean team took part in the EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup which was held in China. The Koreans beat the powerful counterattack by the Chinese and won the game by 3-2. They displayed esprit de corps and organizing ability in their decisive game with the south Korean team and defeated it 2-0, becoming the winner.  Wi Jong Sim was awarded the best player prize, Ra Un Sim the top scorer prize and Kim Nam Hui the best back prize.

The successive victory of the Korean women’s football is inconceivable separated from the state and social interest in sorts in the DPRK.

Its supreme leader Kim Jong Un met the players when they won the EAFF Women’s East Asian Cup in 2013 and congratulated Kim Un Ju, the winner of the best player prize, Ho Un Byol, the winner of the top scorer prize, and Kim Kwang Min, senior coach of the team, on their outstanding service to the victory. He spoke highly of their achievements, saying that they gave fine display to their Juche-oriented tactics, high skills, persevering spirit and unity. When they won the cup in 2015 again, he sent a congratulatory message to them, went to the airport to welcome them on triumphant return home and posed for a photograph with them.

Thanks to such deep concern of the supreme leader, the DPRK is developing in leaps and bounds towards the status of a sports power, a football power.

The Chinese newspaper Yanbian Ribao introduced the growing enthusiasm for football in the DPRK, noting, “The newly-emerging players are distinguishing themselves and people are growing ever more enthusiastic about football. The unyielding spirit and perseverance the Korean women players displayed during the World Cup, the preserve for football powers, showed that the Korean football is capable of further developing in the future.”