Ri and Kim, who were named the tournament’s best players, later walked out of the news conference after a South Korean reporter asked them a question that referred to their country as the “north side”.
The country is officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
After winning the final, the Naegohyang players unfurled North Korea’s national flag – long considered taboo in South Korea under its National Security Act.
Naegohyang, which was founded in 2012 and whose name means “My Hometown” in Korean, have been the subject of much interest since arriving in South Korea last week.
They beat South Korean team Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semi-finals, which were also played in Suwon.
A cheering squad of around 1,200 members of civic groups backed by Seoul’s unification ministry attended the final.
“All of our players focused solely on winning today’s match, putting in the effort while cherishing every minute and second,” said Ri.
“I did not have the time or room to concern myself with various other issues.”
The North Koreans edged Tokyo in a final that featured plenty of hard tackles but was played in a fair spirit.
The two teams had met earlier in the competition, with the Japanese side winning 4-0 in the first round in Myanmar.
