North Korea marks return to international soccer with opening victory as Asian Games

North Korea made a winning return to international soccer after a nearly four-year hiatus on Tuesday with a 2-0 defeat of Chinese Taipei in its Asian Games Group F opener in Jinhua, China. North Korea had not played in a competitive international match since a 0-0 draw against Lebanon in a World Cup qualifier in November 2019. The Asian Games mark a major step in North Korea’s return to international sport following its sending of a small group of taekwondo athletes to the World Championships in Kazakhstan last month.