U-20 followed by U-17 victory… Why is North Korea’s women’s soccer so strong?

North Korean players are rejoicing after defeating Spain to win the Women’s Soccer U-17 World Cup. Striker Jeon Il-cheong received the Golden Ball, MVP of the tournament. [AFP=연합뉴스]

North Korea’s women’s soccer team is showing off its status as the ‘world’s best.’

After reaching the top spot for the first time in eight years at the U-20 Women’s World Cup held in Colombia last month, she also won the U-17 Women’s World Cup this time.

The North Korean under-17 women’s soccer team tied 1-1 after 90 minutes with Spain in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup held at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sánchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on the 4th. They won 4-3 in a penalty shootout and came out on top. This is the third time in total that North Korea has won this competition, eight years after the 2016 Jordan competition.

The final was played with Spain maintaining control of the game, while North Korea sharply counterattacked when it had a chance to counterattack. Spain took the lead by attempting several decisive shots in the first half, but they were blocked one after another by the North Korean defense’s hand-to-hand defense.

Spain scored the first goal in the 16th minute of the second half with Celia Segura’s left-footed shot, but North Korea leveled the game three minutes later when Jeon Il-cheong scored the equalizer. After the 90 minutes of the first and second halves were tied 1-1, the joys and sorrows of the two teams were mixed in the penalty shootout. Spain’s second and third kickers missed in succession, but North Korea missed only its second kicker, and the game ended with North Korea winning 4-3.

At the awards ceremony, North Korean striker Jeon Il-cheong received the Golden Ball (tournament MVP). Jeon Il-cheong was the top scorer (6 goals) at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup held in Indonesia last May, and also played a big role in the World Cup, leading North Korea to victory. Song Seong-kwon, coach of the North Korean national team, said, “We comfortably beat Spain, the best team in Europe,” and added, “I am proud that the best team in Asia has become the best in the world.”

North Korea’s women’s soccer is at its peak, winning the FIFA World Cup for two consecutive months. After winning the Under-20 Women’s World Cup held in Colombia last month for the first time in eight years, she also won this tournament, proving her ability as the ‘world’s best.’

What is the secret to North Korea’s women’s soccer being so strong? Above all, North Korea’s unique trawl-type player discovery and training system can be cited as the biggest secret. In the 2000s, North Korea selected girls aged 9 to 15 who showed talent for soccer from all over the country and went through several stages of testing to form elite members by age group. This tournament’s MVP Jeon Il-cheong, goal scorer Choi Lim-jeong, and Choi Il-seon, who won the U-20 Women’s World Cup top scorer and MVP, are some of the top stars who appeared on the international stage through this method.

Sejong Sports Toto coach Yoon Deok-yeo, who served as the head coach of the women’s soccer team, said, “About 40% of the 200 students at the Pyongyang International Soccer School, which North Korea established in 2013 to foster soccer prospects, are female players,” adding, “They are female players under the European system.” While training, you develop your skills through overseas training. “The North Korean authorities also do not spare support based on the judgment that ‘internationally competitive athletes contribute greatly to improving the national image,’” he explained.

The rewards for players who achieve good results are also unprecedented. Once selected for the women’s soccer team, they are given the right to move to Pyongyang with their families. Director Yoon said, “In North Korea, ‘residing in Pyongyang’ itself is an enormous benefit,” and added, “If you win an international competition, you receive the title of ‘Athletics Hero’ and a pension. “In some cases, people receive apartments and cars as compensation,” he said.

This is in contrast to Korean women’s soccer, which has performed poorly in international competitions as the elite player base has thinned. Korea was eliminated in the group stage of the Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup finals last year when Colin Bell (England) was coach. Last year, they reached the quarterfinals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and did not even make it to the finals at the Paris Olympics in August.

A soccer figure who served as a manager of a WK League team said, “Due to the influence of TV entertainment programs, the number of women’s teams and players has increased rapidly in the recreational soccer field, but in the elite category, the number of players has decreased sharply.” He added, “Compared to other sports such as golf, the number of players has increased rapidly.” “It is also related to the situation in the women’s soccer market, which has not secured competitiveness,” he analyzed.

Reporter Song Ji-hoon [email protected]