"International sport is one of the few ways to demonstrate their sovereignty, existence and identity to the international community, so this type of big success, from their point of view, is an important occasion where they can wave their national flag in front of the international audience,"
"At the same time, domestically, North Korea often uses sport as their propaganda tool to glorify their leaders and also how great their country is."
"In youth football, I think European sport organizations highlight more on having fun when playing football. Whereas in North Korea, even if you are 13 or 14 years old, they join very highly disciplined, highly systematic and highly professionalized training regimes, so in early ages they can excel."
North Korea's women's youth teams have won consecutive U-17 World Cups and multiple U-20 and U-17 titles, establishing dominance in women's youth football. The state uses international sport to demonstrate sovereignty, project national identity, and display the flag to a global audience. Domestically, sport functions as a propaganda tool that glorifies leadership and national prowess. Leaders prioritize women's youth football because the competitive gap is more manageable at youth levels than at senior levels. Youth programs emphasize early, highly disciplined, systematic, and professionalized training from ages 13–14, contrasting with European youth emphasis on enjoyment and participation. That strategic focus yields repeated youth success but has not translated into sustained senior-team dominance.
Read at www.dw.com
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