[2] The first Korean derby occurred in the 1978 Asian Games final,[3] and both countries shared the title after a 0–0 draw without penalty shoot-out.

Goals from Ko Jeong-woon, Hwang Sun-hong and Ha Seok-ju in the second half gave South Korea a 3–0 win in the teams' final qualifying match for the 1994 World Cup.

"[8] In 2008, on two occasions, a 2010 World Cup qualifying match between the two countries, due to be played in Pyongyang, had to be moved to Shanghai when authorities in the North refused to allow the South Korean national anthem to be played in Kim Il-sung Stadium, or the flag of South Korea to be flown.

[10] During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, for which both Koreas qualified for the first time, it was reported that "at bars in central Seoul you could find groups of South Koreans cheering the North as loudly as their own team".

Both Koreas advanced to the final round of the Asian Football Confederation qualifiers for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

Over the following two years, North Korea experienced the death of its leader, Kim Il-Sung, and the beginning of a severe famine.

[14] Both Koreas advanced to the finals group of the 2008 East Asian Football Championship in Chongqing, People's Republic of China.

The first three games were draws; the South won the fourth, amidst accusations of food poisoning from the North.

[17] On 15 October 2019, the rivals met in Pyongyang, North Korea, for the first time in 29 years, in an empty stadium.

[20] On 4 August 2005, the two Koreas' men's teams were meeting in the final tournament of the 2005 East Asian Football Championship, in Jeonju, in the South.

A 1–1 draw led to the match being extended, whereupon two goals by Ra Un Sim enabled the North to advance to the final.

The North's 3–2 victory helped it to qualify in second place for the Olympics, while the South was ultimately eliminated, finishing fifth.

However, South Korea had proven to be different than previous encounters, when a strictly disciplined Southern defence prevented the North from scoring a second.

Not just that, Jang Sel-gi turned to become the heroine as she scored the decisive goal in 76', ultimately helped the South to draw the North 1–1.