“I’ve never seen my country win a game against the Asahi at the National Stadium.”

“Annyeong hasimnika” “Pangapsumnida (I’m glad to meet you)”

On March 19th, cheers in Korean filled the air as the North Korean team arrived at Haneda Airport. The players received bouquets of flowers and boarded the bus while officials from the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan waved the North Korean flag to welcome them. The head of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, Chairman Heo Jong-man, also showed up to welcome them, and the group is doing its best to support the home team.

“The Japanese government has imposed its own sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear and missile development, and in principle prohibits people with North Korean nationality from entering the country, but athletes participating in international sporting events are an exception. It is still fresh in our memory that the final Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics for women’s soccer was held at the National Stadium on February 28th, and this time too, athletes were allowed to enter the country,” said a reporter from the foreign affairs department of a major newspaper.

At the airport on the 19th, a Chongryon official said, “When the women’s team came to Japan in February, they arrived late at night, but there were 200 people to welcome them. There are even more today.”

A woman in her 30s who watched the women’s match at the National Stadium in February recalled her emotional feelings after watching the Japan-North Korea match, saying, “I haven’t been able to go to Urinara (homeland, meaning North Korea) since 2020 due to the COVID-19 infection, and I’ve been missing it ever since. When I saw the female players waving to the stands at the stadium, I was moved to tears.”

When asked why he came to the airport to welcome them, he said, “I thought the players would be nervous when they arrive in an away game, and I thought that if our compatriots cheered them on when they arrive, it would be a small but powerful thing. There are young students here today, and for them too, this moment of being able to connect with their homeland is important.”

For the women’s match in February, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan reserved 3,400 seats behind the goal on the away side, and the entire area was painted red, the color of North Korea’s team. “This time, the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan reserved 3,000 seats, but because there are so many people who want to watch the match, they are asking the Japanese side if they can expand the cheering area further,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

In fact, the Korean community in Japan does not have high expectations for the match. “We have to admit that Japan is strong. How far can our team hang in there? Well, we’re going to watch the match without getting too excited (laughs),” said a source.

In addition, middle-aged and older Korean residents of Japan who have long supported the North Korean team when it visits Japan have another concern.

“The venue. I’ve never seen my country win a match against the Asahi at the National Stadium. Ever since I was young, they’ve always lost there.” (Man in his 50s)

In fact, in past matches between Japan and North Korea, Japan has won eight times, North Korea has won seven, and there have been four draws, but Japan won both of the matches held at the National Stadium in 1985 and 1989, and for those who cheered on the North Korean team when they came to Japan in their youth, the National Stadium may even feel like a place of trauma.