Government Spent 235 Million Won Supporting 'Joint Cheering for North Korean Women's Football'

Unspent Funds of 84.16 Million Won Returned
Ministry of Unification: "Support Scale Finalized Based on Actual Expenses"

A total of 235.29 million won from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund was spent in May to support and host events for the North Korean women's football team during their visit to South Korea.

On May 20, at Suwon Comprehensive Stadium in Jangan District, Suwon, during the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL), Naegohyang Women's Football Club cheered while holding the championship flag after their victory over Suwon FC Women. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On July 20, the Ministry of Unification released the "Settlement Results of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund Related to the Participation of the North Korean Delegation." According to the settlement, 235.29 million won was executed out of the approved support amount of 319.45 million won from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, while the unused 84.16 million won was returned.

A total of 148.74 million won was spent to support the cheering squad. This includes 25.24 million won for the purchase of entrance tickets (a total of 5,048 tickets), 59.10 million won for cheering supplies and snacks, and 64.40 million won for cheering events.

For event operations, 84.55 million won was allocated, consisting of 55.91 million won for event management support and 28.64 million won for safety management support. Additionally, a fee of 2 million won was paid for an accounting audit of the subsidy settlement report.

The Ministry of Unification stated, "During the post-settlement process, we thoroughly verified execution details through an accounting audit and finalized the support amount based on actual expenses incurred."

Previously, the Ministry of Unification decided to provide 319.45 million won from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund in accordance with the North Korean Naegohyang Women's Football Club's visit to South Korea. On May 11, the Ministry held a management deliberation committee meeting to approve the funding, and on May 14, it gave final approval for the Naegohyang Women's Football Club's visit to South Korea. At that time, the Ministry explained that, based on Article 8 of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund Act, the costs for joint cheering and event operations would be supported to promote mutual understanding between the two Koreas. The Naegohyang Women's Football Club subsequently visited South Korea from May 17 to May 24 for the matches before departing.

Some raised controversy over whether it was appropriate to provide support from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, given that North Korea continues to maintain a policy of severed ties with the South under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's "two hostile states" line. In response, Minister of Unification Jeong Dong-Young stated on May 20 at the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, "This is not confidential. All expenditures will be settled and fully disclosed later."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.