Hwaebul Sports Club is a professional football club from Pochon, North Korea, founded in 2013. It is the sports club of the Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Youth League and is based at the 5,000 capacity Hwaebul Stadium. The club plays in the DPR Korea Premier Football League.
History The team was given its name by Kim Jong-un when it was founded, in the hopes that the club would be a guiding light for football in North Korea, as "Hwaebul" means "torch" in Korean. Despite its newness, the club has already achieved considerable success, finishing third in their inaugural season, winning the Highest Class Football League in the second season, along with securing several wins in the Paektusan Prize, the Poch'ŏnbo Torch Prize, and other competitions.
The club made its competitive debut in the 2013 competition of the Poch'ŏnbo Torch Prize, in which forward Kim Yong-gwang was top scorer with twelve goals, seven scored in the first round and five in the second round.
After having finished second in the Highest Class in 2017, Hwaebul are currently taking part in their first continental competition, the 2018 AFC Cup. They defeated Erchim FC of Mongolia with a 7–0 aggregate score in the qualifying play-offs, and have advanced to the group stage, where they will play matches against April 25 of North Korea, Hang Yuen of Taiwan, and Benfica of Macau to try to qualify for the knockout stage.
Players Season 2025/26 The following players were included in the 2026 Hwaebul Cup match against Sobaeksu Sports Club. https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/4800815363791360
Managers Jo In-chol (first) Il Mun-ho (former) Jong Un-Hyok (current)
Continental record Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate2018AFC CupQualifying play-off round Erchim 3–0 4–0 7–0 Group I April 25 0–2 0–1 3rd Benfica de Macau 2–3 0–3 Hang Yuen 6–1 1–0
Achievements Domestic DPR Korea League: 3 Champions: 2014 Third place: 2013
Hwaebul Cup: 2 Runners-up: 2014, 2016
Osandŏk Prize: 3 Champions: 2015, 2016, 2017
Paektusan Prize: 1 Champions: 2016
Poch'ŏnbo Torch Prize: 3 Champions: 2013, 2017 Runners-up: 2014
References
External links Hwaebul Sports Club at Soccerway