*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 visited Sydney as a member of the “Korean and Chosŏn Team Cheering Squad for the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia” (hereafter referred to as the cheering squad), organized by the 'Hankyoreh' Peace Institute.
As of March 13, the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia has completed the group stage with 12 Asian nations participating, and the quarterfinals are now underway. The tournament also serves as the Asian qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with six spots at stake, making the competition fiercer than ever.
This year’s tournament is particularly meaningful because North Korea has returned to the Asian Cup after 16 years, allowing fans to once again witness players from both Koreas competing on the same international stage.
Since the Asian Cup features players from both Koreas, the Korean community in Australia quickly mobilized. The Korean diaspora in Australia already had an important historical experience: in March 1989, during the IIHF Men’s World Championship Pool C held in Sydney, they successfully organized the first joint cheering effort for South and North Korea since the division of the peninsula.
A Cheering Squad United by “Korea Must Win”
The first cheering event began on March 8 at Stadium Australia. It was literally the main event—the match that would decide first place in Group A between Korea and Australia, both of whom had already secured two victories.
In Australia, women’s football is a highly popular sport. As expected, more than 60,000 spectators filled the stadium for the Korea–Australia match, and the atmosphere inside the venue was nothing short of electrifying.
Amid expectations of passionate support for the home team, around a thousand Korean-Australian supporters, together with a joint cheering squad from South Korea, shouted at the top of their lungs, chanting “Daehan Minguk!” (meaning “Republic of Korea” in Korean) and “Oh Pilseung Korea!” (meaning “Korea Must Win” in Korean). Although we were surrounded by Australian fans, the intensity of our support was no less than that of the home crowd.
Perhaps our heartfelt cheering reached the players. After a fiercely contested match, Korea and Australia finished in a thrilling 3–3 draw.
In particular, the dramatic go-ahead goal scored in the 56th minute by Kang Chae-rim of Montreal Roses sent the joint North–South cheering squad into a frenzy of excitement.
Korea (ranked 21st in the FIFA women’s rankings), having overcome Australia (15th), advanced to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group A and was set to face Uzbekistan (49th) for a place in the semifinals. Australia, pushed down to second place in the group, would meet North Korea (9th) in the quarterfinals.
Had Korea lost to Australia, it could have resulted in a North–South Korean match-up. Fortunately, Korea defeated Australia and secured first place in the group, allowing the team to prepare for the semifinals with greater peace of mind.
A Final Greeting More Moving Than Victory
The next match took place on March 9 at Western Sydney Stadium, where the DPRK faced China. This match drew as much attention as the Korea–Australia game. North Korea had returned to the Asian Cup for the first time in sixteen years, and the media and football fans were eager to see what kind of performance the team would display against China.
Yet my feelings were complicated. Seeing the North Korean players in this distant foreign land stirred my heart, but it also filled me with a sense of sadness.
Just as in the Korea–Australia match, the joint cheering squad from South Korea had to face a stadium filled with Chinese supporters during the DPRK–China game. But our hearts were hotter than ever. We poured our earnest hopes into the cheers, believing that perhaps this match might bring about even a small change in inter-Korean relations.
As the match began, the sound of drums—thump, thump, thump—echoed throughout the stadium, beating like the rhythm of our own hearts. Perhaps this is what it means to be few in number yet strong in spirit. Without exaggeration, that day’s cheering battle belonged to us. The Korean-Australian supporters together with the Korean cheering squad never paused for a moment, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Go Korea!”, “Go Choson!”, and “Our players, win!”
Unfortunately, the DPRK–China match ended with China’s comeback victory. The drooping shoulders of the North Korean players, who had fought to the very end, weighed heavily on the hearts of the cheering squad.
But at the very moment when the North Korean team was leaving the field, something unbelievable happened. The players suddenly turned in the direction of our cheering section. Then, waving both hands, they bowed their heads to express their gratitude.
At that instant, a thunderous roar erupted from the stadium. The cheers were even louder than when Kim Kyong-yong had scored the opening goal, and louder than when a Chinese player had netted the winning goal.
It was a cry filled with both emotion and pent-up feeling. In that moment, it seemed certain that the heartfelt sincerity of our cheering squad had finally reached them.
Let Us Meet Again at the Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games
Through cheering at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, the joint North–South cheering squad learned a small yet meaningful lesson. Even when inter-Korean relations appear completely stalled, we do not have to stand still in frustration. By bringing people together—through the strength of civil society and the support of overseas Koreans—we can unite our hearts and rediscover for ourselves that we are, after all, one people.
Now, let us prepare for an even greater moment of inspiration at the 2026 Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games, which will be held from September 19 to October 4 this year in Nagoya and across Aichi Prefecture.
Pessimism about inter-Korean relations still weighs heavily on our society. Yet the very moment we begin to believe that nothing can be done is precisely when we must find the courage to act again. One person, then another—step by step—let us continue to speak about reconciliation between North and South and about peace on the Korean Peninsula. And by gathering those shared hopes, let us once again raise our voices together and shout “Korea” with all our hearts.
*IL-Young Jeong is a Senior Research Fellow at Sogang University in Seoul. His key research interests include North Korea's social control system, inter-Korean relations, and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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