OSAKA, Japan — A familiar city became the stage for an extraordinary Asian Games moment for Ri Song-a.
Born and raised in Osaka, the 27-year-old Zainichi Korean footballer returned to her hometown wearing North Korea’s colors at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
She made the occasion even more memorable by scoring in North Korea’s emphatic 10–0 victory over Bangladesh in their opening Group F women’s football match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai on Sept. 14.
Ri started the match and played the full 90 minutes, scoring North Korea’s eighth goal six minutes into the second half.
From Osaka to the North Korean National Team
Ri’s story stands out because her football career has remained closely connected to Japan even while she has represented North Korea internationally.
Born in 1999 in Osaka Prefecture, Ri began her professional career with Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies in 2015. She later played for Nittaidai SMG Yokohama before joining Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina, where she continues to play in Japan.
Her international career with North Korea began at youth level, and she has continued representing the country while developing her club career in Japan.
North Korea’s Olympic Committee had previously confirmed that Ri was one of two athletes from the Zainichi Korean community in Japan included in the country’s Asian Games delegation. The other was karate athlete Jong Se-ri.
A Special Return to the City Where She Grew Up
The Asian Games appearance carried an added layer of meaning because the tournament brought Ri back to Osaka.
After the Bangladesh match, Ri described representing her country in the city where she was born and raised as especially meaningful.
Before the match, she also posted a message expressing her intention to carry the support of Zainichi Koreans with her onto the field.
The response was visible in the stands.
Students from Korean schools in Osaka, Kyoto and surrounding areas were among supporters cheering for North Korea. Yonhap reported that hundreds of fans attended the match, creating a particularly notable atmosphere for the North Korean delegation.
North Korea Opens With a Statement Win
Ri’s goal was part of a dominant performance by North Korea.
The team raced to a 7–0 halftime lead before adding three more goals after the break. Ri’s goal came in the 51st minute, according to Yonhap’s match report.
The result immediately highlighted North Korea’s attacking strength in a competition where the team is seeking to return to the top of the Asian Games podium.
North Korea last won the women’s football gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
Why Ri Song-a’s Story Is Drawing Attention
Ri’s profile goes beyond the result on the scoreboard.
She represents a group of athletes whose sporting careers cross the boundaries of Japan, the Korean diaspora and North Korean international football.
The term Zainichi Korean generally refers to ethnic Koreans living in Japan, including descendants of Koreans who migrated to Japan during the period of Japanese colonial rule.
Ri’s pathway — developing as a footballer in Japan while representing North Korea internationally — has therefore attracted attention from Japanese and Korean media.
Her story also recalls that of former North Korean men’s international Jong Tae-se, another Zainichi Korean footballer who represented North Korea at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Bigger Asian Games Stage
North Korea entered the 2026 Asian Games with a delegation of roughly 100 athletes competing in 14 sports, according to Yonhap.
That is a smaller delegation than the 185 athletes it registered across 18 sports for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which were held in 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea won 11 gold, 18 silver and 10 bronze medals in Hangzhou.
For Ri, however, the tournament has already produced a moment that goes beyond medals and statistics.
She returned to the city that shaped her early life, stepped onto a familiar football landscape and scored for the national team she has represented since her youth.
And her Asian Games journey is only beginning.
WWC ONE MEDIA G.A
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