The Democratic People's Republic of Korea Football Association is the governing body of football in North Korea.
Historically,North Korea's participation in international sporting events has been hindered by the relations with South Korea. Until the 1990s,North Korea used to host up to 14 international events every year,albeit in small scale. Since the early 1990s,the amount was reduced to just one,the Paektusan Prize International Figure Skating Festival. More recently,since the 2000s,North Korea both participates in and hosts more international competitions.
The DPR Korea Premier Football League is the men's top professional football division of the North Korean football league system. The DPR Korea Premier Football League was established in 2017,replacing previous football tournaments held in a knockout format which served as a highest-level football competition in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Kigwancha Sports Club or Kigwancha Sports Team,known as Sinuiju Locomotive Sports Club is a North Korean multi-sports club belonging to the Korean State Railway and based in Sinuiju. It was established on 11 January 1956,and has been awarded the Order of Kim Il-sung and the Order of the National Flag. The club is best known for its men's and women's football teams.
Amnokgang Sports Club is a North Korean men's multi-sports club. Based in Pyongyang,the club competes in the DPR Korea Premier Football League.
Kyŏnggongopsong Sports Club is a North Korean professional football club affiliated with the North Korean Ministry of Light Industry,playing in the DPR Korea Premier Football League at the 10,000 capacity City Stadium in P'yŏngyang.
Ri Kum-suk is a North Korean footballer who plays for the 4.25 Sports Club. She plays a key role not only for her club,but also for national teams in the AFC Women's Asian Cup,Asian Games and FIFA Women's World Cup. She is the highest goalscorer for North Korea with 40 goals and the most prolific female footballer ever from North Korea with 165 goals.
Ri Myong-guk is a North Korean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Ri was known for his positioning and reflexes and spent his entire playing career at Pyongyang Sports Club in the DPR Korea League. Ri was also a national team veteran and former captain having made 118 appearances for the national team before his retirement in 2019. Ri is currently the goalkeeper coach for his former club.
Association football in North Korea is governed by the DPR Korea Football Association (KFA),which was established in 1945. While football is the most popular sport in the country,the state's secrecy makes it difficult to accurately determine things such as attendances and popularity for club matches.
Hwaebul Sports Club is a professional football club from Pochon,North Korea,founded in 2013. It is the sports club of the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League and is based at the 5,000 capacity Hwaebul Stadium. The club plays in the DPR Korea Premier Football League.
Ra Un-sim,Hero of Labor,is a North Korean female international football player.
Statistics of DPR Korea Football League in the 2016 season.
Statistics of DPR Korea Football League in the 2015 season.
The 2017–18 DPR Korea Premier Football League was the first season of the reformed DPR Korea Premier Football League,the top North Korean association football league,to use a home-and-away format. The league started on 1 December 2017 and will continue until 28 October 2018. Matches will be played on Saturdays and Sundays only.
The 2017 Hwaebul Cup was the fifth edition of the Hwaebul Cup football competition,celebrating North Korea's Youth Day. The competition was held between 27 July and 28 August 2017,with all matches played at the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in P'yŏngyang. The competition was arranged in two phases,a group stage followed by a single-elimination play-off semi-finals,and a single-game final. Sobaeksu Sports Club won the competition for the first time,as the defending champion,April 25,were not entered into the competition due to their taking part in the 2017 AFC Cup. Ryŏmyŏng finished second,whilst Hwaebul and Kigwancha placed third and fourth respectively.
The 2018–19 DPR Korea Premier Football League was the second season of the reformed DPR Korea Premier Football League,the top North Korean association football league,to use a home-and-away format.
The league started on 1 December 2018 and continued until October 2019.
The 2019–20 DPR Korea Premier Football League is the third season of the reformed DPR Korea Premier Football League,the top North Korean association football league,to use a home-and-away format. The league started on 5 December 2019. The season was expected to finish in October 2020,however,due to COVID-19 prevention measures,league games did not resume after the winter break. It is not known whether the season was cancelled or postponed.
Sŏnbong Sports Club is a North Korean professional football club from Rasŏn,affiliated with the Worker-Peasant Red Guards. They play in the DPR Korea Premier Football League. Their home ground is Rajin Stadium. Sonbong is a region in Rason called Sonbong-guyok.
The 2023–24 DPR Korea Premier Football League is the 64th season of the DPR Korea Premier League and the 2nd season since the reformation of the league's structure in the 2022–23 season. The season began on 5 December 2023.
