04.06.2026 20:50
North Korea's women's football team Naegohyang became the Asian champions. The female football players could not control their emotions and cried when they saw North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who came to celebrate the team.
Naegohyang, North Korea's women's football team, achieved Asian championship by defeating Japanese rival Verdy Beleza in the final of the Asian Women's Champions League hosted by South Korea. The players' major emotional outburst occurred upon returning to their country.
ALL OF THEM CRIED WHEN THEY SAW THE KOREAN LEADER
Returning to the capital Pyongyang after the great victory, the football players encountered an unexpected surprise as part of the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un personally attended the ceremony to congratulate the champion athletes. The players, seeing Kim Jong-un congratulate each successful footballer individually, were almost overcome with emotion. Upon seeing the country's leader before them, the female football players burst into tears of happiness and excitement, shouting with joy. Those moments, captured on camera showing the athletes jumping and crying upon seeing their leader, quickly became one of the most talked-about topics in world media and social media.
BECAME A GLOBAL TREND
These extraordinary moments also resonated widely in the international press. In its assessment of the footage, US-based broadcaster CNN stated, "North Korean football players may have become national heroes in their country with this great achievement, but what truly brought tears to their eyes was not the championship they won, but coming face to face with their country's leader."
MAJORITY FIND IT EXAGGERATED
These moments, which went viral worldwide in a short time, were considered exaggerated by a large segment. In comments made, it was noted that all the football players crying simultaneously created a negative impression.