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South Korea’s Suwon FC Women face North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC Wednesday night in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, in what will be the first inter-Korean sports match on South Korean soil in seven-and-a-half years — a match that carries political weight far beyond the pitch. Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, speaking at a National Assembly session Wednesday ahead of the evening kickoff, framed the match as an opportunity to set a “positive precedent” for inter-Korean ties. “I think the arrival of the North Korean sports team marks a meaningful milestone, as it is the first time a North Korean athletic team has set foot in the South in seven-and-a-half years,” Chung said. “The ministry will carefully manage the situation in hopes that the event can help restore the long-fractured trust between the two Koreas.” Chung explained that while Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young would attend the match in person, he chose not to. “The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) requested our assistance in ensuring that the AFC Women’s Champions League could be held independently o