North Korea promises no further protests in Womens Asian Cup

On Thursday North Korea committed to preventing any additional disruptions from the touchline in their quarter final clash against Australia at the Womens Asian Cup following the uproar in their encounter with China.

In a group stage fixture on Monday North Korea halted play for a number of minutes during their 2-1 defeat to China after becoming enraged.

The team reacted furiously when ex Tottenham forward Wang Shuang netted during added time in the first half prompting demands for the referee to review footage on the sidelines monitor.

The three time title holders declined to restart the match for four minutes while jeers echoed around the stadium.

"Should a similar incident occur in tomorrows game we will adhere to the referees verdict and honour the officials ruling" stated coach Ri Song Ho to journalists in Perth via a translator.

Ri received a yellow card due to his involvement in the disturbance.

North Korea will confront a supportive crowd at Perth Rectangular Stadium on Friday against the home side who triumphed over them on spot kicks in the 2010 final following a 1-1 draw.

Australias Sam Kerr remains the sole survivor from that contest while North Korea now fields a youthful and robust squad.

The team aims to capitalise on retaining their Womens U17 World Cup crown in Morocco the previous year which followed their U20 World Cup success in Colombia in 2024.

Gifted forward Choe Il Son featured in both victories prior to joining the senior national team.

"We recognise Australia as a strong opponent so tomorrow we intend to unite support one another and deliver our peak performance" she remarked.

"Our squad possesses skill and we have trained diligently for this fixture. We are eager to demonstrate our capabilities on the field."

Beyond securing a semi final spot the outcome also influences 2027 World Cup spots with the leading six teams earning passage to the Brazil tournament.