The North Korean and South Korean women's soccer teams did not shake hands before the match
During a match in the AFC U-17 Women’s Championship, players from the South Korean and North Korean national teams declined to exchange the traditional handshake. After the national anthems were played, the teams walked past each other before the start of the game. This was reported by Glavkom on Monday, May 17.
The tournament is being held in China.
After the national anthems were played, the players refrained from the traditional handshakes, walking past each other instead.
The match ended with a 3-0 victory for the DPRK team, which took first place in Group C. The South Korean women’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament in second place.
In the next round, the DPRK team will face Thailand, while the South Korean team will take on Japan. The matches will take place today, May 11, 2026.
As a reminder, North Korea amended its constitution, officially defining the country’s territory as bordering South Korea. At the same time, any references to a possible reunification of the two countries were completely removed from the document.
North Korea recently launched several unidentified ballistic missiles from the Sinpo area. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff recorded the launches at approximately 6:10 a.m. local time.
North Korea has likely significantly expanded its nuclear arsenal capabilities by intensifying work at key strategic facilities.
