North and South both faced disappointment. The South Korea and North Korea under-17 (U-17) soccer teams failed to advance to the finals after losing to Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, respectively, in the semifinals of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup.

First to compete, the South Korea U-17 team faced host country Saudi Arabia on the 17th (Korean time) at the Okaz Stadium in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Under the leadership of Coach Baek Ki Tae, South Korea took the lead with a goal from Oh Haram at the end of the first half, but allowed an equalizer in stoppage time of the second half, finishing the match 1-1 and losing 1-3 in the penalty shootout.

South Korea pressured Saudi Arabia from the start. In the 31st minute, Park Seo Jun attempted a crucial shot, but it was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, and subsequent shots in the corner kick situation were also thwarted by the defender's fierce defense. In the 45th minute, Oh Haram finally shook the net with two shots in a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, taking the lead.

In the second half, South Korea faced injury issues. Kim Ye Geon and Lim Ye Chan fell one after another, exhausting the substitution cards and accumulating physical strain. South Korea tried to maintain the lead by solidifying their defense, but in stoppage time of the second half, after a barrage of attacks from Saudi Arabia, goalkeeper Park Do Hoon conceded a penalty kick when the ball slipped from his grasp, resulting in a 1-1 tie. Ultimately, in the penalty shootout, South Korea's second to fourth kickers all missed their attempts, thwarting their chances of advancing to the finals.

Thus, South Korea aimed for a second consecutive finals appearance following their runner-up finish in the 2023 tournament but was unable to overcome another hurdle, and their quest for a tournament victory, 23 years after 2002, was also dashed.

In the second semifinal held on the 18th, North Korea was soundly defeated 0-3 by Uzbekistan. From the early moments of the match, Uzbekistan dominated with strong high pressing and a fast tempo, threatening North Korea's goal with a powerful header from Abubakir Shukurulajev in the 9th minute. North Korea responded with an impressive dribble breakthrough by An Jin Seok, but the shot went straight at the goalkeeper and did not result in a score.

In the 26th minute of the first half, Sadriiddin Hasanov earned a penalty kick, but Bakodirkonov's shot was saved by North Korea's goalkeeper Jeong Hyun Joo, averting a crisis. Shortly thereafter, it seemed that Ri Kang Song had scored an own goal, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review. However, in the 31st minute, Hasanov scored the opening goal with a curling shot from the left side of the penalty area that hit the upper part of the net.

As if that weren't enough, in the 40th minute, North Korean defender Kang Myung Beom was sent off due to accumulation of yellow cards, leaving North Korea at a numerical disadvantage. In the second half, the flow of the match completely tilted in favor of Uzbekistan. In the 17th minute, substitute Jamshidbek Rustamov trapped a sharp cross from Shukurulajev and scored another goal with a right-footed shot. Just three minutes later, Hasanov, after evading two defenders, linked up with Shukurulajev again, who calmly completed the team's third goal.

North Korea's Park Kwang Seong had a crucial chance in the 76th minute, but his shot went wide of the goal, missing a chance to recover, and the match concluded with a score of 0-3.

As a result, the final will be contested between Uzbekistan, which recorded five consecutive victories, and host country Saudi Arabia. Both North and South Korea faced disappointment at the final threshold, but they secured qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Qatar this November by reaching the quarterfinals.

South Korea and North Korea both caused upsets until the end of the tournament, but they finished on a disappointing note without overcoming the final hurdle. Attention is focused on what kind of turnaround the two teams will show on the world stage.

[OSEN]