The Korean Odyssey

Suggestions for the Success of the AFC Women’s Champions League Suwon Tournament * A sculpture installed at the stadium of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup held in Australia in March 2026.  ⓒ Il Young Jeong Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University An unexpected match between women’s football club teams from South and North Korea has been arranged — remarkably, in Suwon, South Korea. In other words, a North Korean women’s club team will be visiting the South. Amid the current stalemate in inter-Korean relations, a subtle sense of tension is in the air. This article sincerely welcomes the visit of North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s Football Team and proposes that both Koreas’ authorities actively cooperate with the Asian Football Confederation’s tournament operations — without political considerations — so that the AFC Women’s Champions League can be successfully concluded. * ‘Naegohyang’ is a Korean word meaning ‘my hometown.’ An Unexpected Vis...

* Australian Korean supporters and the Korean cheering squad are cheering together during the North Korea–China match.  ⓒ Il Young Jeong Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University “Go Korea!” echoed across Australia. It felt good not to have to divide the peninsula into South and North. “Go Korea!” The heartfelt chant was both a cheer for our South and North Korean players and a call for reconciliation between the two Koreas and for peace on the Korean Peninsula. This is the story of a South Korean cheering squad supporting both South and North Korea at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, held in Australia since March 1.  This article is a personal account written by the author, who participated in the tournament as a member of the joint cheering squad.   The reason we set off for a distant southern land, Australia This is Sydney, Australia’s representative global city, where the Women’s Asian Cup football tournament is in full swing. I v...