Women's Football Finishes Second in Group After 1-1 Draw With North Korea... Yun Su-jeong Scores Equalizer 48 Seconds Into Second Half [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] South Korea's women's national football team drew 1-1 with North Korea in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games' inter-Korean matchup, thanks to an equalizer from rookie Yun Su-jeong, 24, of Suwon FC Women. South Korea advanced to the quarterfinals in second place in the group and will battle Uzbekistan for a place in the semifinals on the 25th.

The national team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, drew 1-1 with North Korea in the third Group F match of the women's football group stage at the tournament. The match was held on the 21st at Shizuoka Stadium ECOPA in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
After routing Myanmar 5-0 in their opener and Bangladesh 6-0 in their second match, South Korea earned one point in the "group first-place decider" against North Korea, finishing the group stage level with North Korea on seven points. However, South Korea finished second after recording a +11 goal difference, trailing North Korea's +18.
The standout performer was rookie winger Yun Su-jeong. Trailing 0-1, South Korea brought her on at the start of the second half, and she scored the equalizer just 48 seconds later.
Yun Su-jeong was first selected for the senior national team this year and made her fifth senior international appearance on this day. She had no experience with age-group national teams and had attracted little attention, having been selected as an additional pick by Changnyeong WFC in the 2024 WK League rookie draft.
Even after moving to Suwon FC Women last year, she had yet to make a notable impact. However, in May this year, she caught attention with sharp movement that showcased her speed in the AFC Women's Champions League semifinal against North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Team in Suwon.

Shin Sang-woo expressed disappointment that the team finished the group stage in second place.
According to Yonhap News on the 21st, Shin said after the match, "It was a match we absolutely had to win, so I am very disappointed that we drew," and added, "We were fully capable of finishing first in the group."
While expressing regret over the team's frequent passing errors and mistakes, he said, "In the past, we would tend to collapse after conceding to North Korea. This time, we fought back and gave our best until the end to try to come from behind, and I think we did well in that regard."
He did not attach any special significance to the symbolism of the inter-Korean matchup. Shin explained, "There was no separate motivation. I simply viewed them as a team we had to play. Since North Korea is a strong women's football side, our players approached the match with high concentration in order to win."
He added, "Football is simply about producing results through football and going through the process; I do not think about the political aspects. Many of our players were facing North Korea for the first time and were nervous, but I want to praise them for standing up strongly and fighting with determination."
South Korea will play its quarterfinal against Uzbekistan, which finished second in Group G, in Osaka on the 25th.
[email protected] Shin Jin-ah Reporter