![](\"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/image\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0263\/image-ce56cc0e-fddc-4a50-b342-be413f91d7be.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nTranslation result.### <\/p>\n
North Korean coach Ri Yu\u2011il, who leads the Naegohyang Women\u2019s Football Team into an international final, openly bristled when reporters described the matchup as a Korea\u2013Japan affair and called it a \u201crough\u201d game during a press conference.<\/p>\n
At a prefinal news conference on the 22nd at Suwon Sports Complex ahead of the 2025\u201326 AFC Women\u2019s Champions League final, Ri bluntly asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s a Korea\u2013Japan match?\u201d<\/p>\n
His remark came after a reporter said, \u201cLike a Korea\u2013Japan match, the final between Naegohyang and Tokyo Verdy looks set to be intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ri pressed, \u201cWhat do you mean by \u2018as intense as a Korea\u2013Japan match?\u2019\u201d and then turned to his interpreter, asking, \u201cWhat is a Korea\u2013Japan match?\u201d<\/p>\n
The confusion appears tied to Pyongyang\u2019s change in terminology for South Korea. After Kim Jong Un redefined inter\u2011Korean relations at the end of 2023 as an antagonistic two\u2011state relationship, North Korea shifted away from the older term Namjoson and began using \u201cKorea\u201d or \u201cthe Republic of Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ri seemed to interpret the reporter\u2019s comment as referring to the Naegohyang vs. Tokyo Verdy final itself, rather than the conventional Korea\u2013Japan national rivalry.<\/p>\n
When the reporter clarified that they meant Naegohyang and Tokyo Verdy could be as physical as a Korea\u2013Japan showdown, Ri bristled at the description of the game as \u201crough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey called the opposing team \u2018rough\u2019 even before the semifinals. I don\u2019t understand what that means,\u201d he said. \u201cFootball always has rules and referees. Within those rules, fouls are called and players are booked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know whether \u2018rough\u2019 means simply hard\u2011fought or that the play crosses the line into violent conduct,\u201d he added. \u201cBefore I answer, I think the term itself is inappropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ri stressed, \u201cOur team will do its best in the final within the bounds of the rules, just as we did in the semifinals.\u201d<\/p>\n
His heated response, delivered with North Korea\u2019s characteristic intensity, quickly silenced the room.<\/p>\n
After the conference, Ri credited the recent rise of North Korean women\u2019s football to a strong player\u2011development system, including the Pyongyang International Football School. \u201cWinning is important, but developing into a stronger team is also a key objective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Naegohyang beat Suwon FC Women 2\u20131 in the AWCL semifinals on the 20th to reach the final, which will be played on the 23rd at Suwon Sports Complex.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
North Korea’s women’s football team coach Li Yu-il reacts sensitively to reporters’ terms like ‘Korea-Japan match’ during a press conference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0263\/thumb-59322a1c-93de-4d1e-b1aa-539e8b15865d.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278095],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n