Women’s Football in the Two Koreas

Abstract

The year 2010 is considered South Korean women’s football’s greatest year, with outstanding results in two International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) tournaments. North Korea has also displayed excellence in women’s football during the past 20 years. This study, therefore, investigates and compares the factors involved in the success of Korean women’s football. It finds that the South Korean government’s interest in women’s football has been erratic, but North Korea prioritized women’s football and provided it full support; that members of successful South Korean teams receive small financial rewards, while North Korean players receive decorations and significant material rewards, and that although South Korea established a systematic talent identification and training system in 2002, North Korea initiated this process more than a decade earlier.