The loss means Australia fail to qualify for the 2020 U/17 World Cup in India, with Asia's normal allocation of three qualification spots altered due to the automatic reservation for the hosts.

DPR Korea, meanwhile, will be hoping to add a third trophy to their cabinet in India, showing every bit of their quality against the Aussies, with two first-half goals to Hye Yong Kim providing the damage.

Pom I Kim then gave the scoreline a more accurate reflection of the Koreans' dominance, with a third goal in extra time.

Australia looked out of their depth in the first half, consistently pushed back to their goal-line and failing to clear the half-way mark with a series of errant passes.

The second half defensive performance improved, but shots or a thread of successful passes were few and far between, casting doubt over Australia's ability to match it with the very best in the world at youth level.

"I thought it was a bit disappointing but the girls played well, they tried their hardest, making history, first time in the semi-finals in 10 years," a teary Charlize Rule said after the match.

"Of course, we're disappointed. All we can do is work harder for the next one."