In front of several hundred pro-Pyongyang supporters in Osaka, North Korea’s women’s football team defeated Bangladesh 10-0 on Monday to kick off their Asian Games.
The North Koreans are among the favorites to win gold in Japan and have experienced incredible success abroad at the youth level.
They were up by seven goals at the interval and were simply too hot for Bangladesh to handle.
Born and bred in Japan, striker Ri Song A scored in the second half while playing for North Korea.
Throughout the game, a sizable crowd of red-clad supporters sung and chanted in support of North Korea.
Wearing white blazers and pink ties, the men’s and women’s football teams came for the Games last week to be greeted by fans waving flags.
The Games, which begin on September 19 in Nagoya-Aichi, will feature over 100 North Koreans competing in 14 different sports.
During the epidemic, nuclear-armed North Korea stopped competing internationally; but, in 2023, it made a comeback at the Asian Games in China and participated in the Olympics in Paris.
On September 21, North Korean women will play South Korean women in a grudge match in Group F.
On Wednesday, the men’s squad will start their campaign against China.
