The power of sports to bringing people together has played a crucial role in turning around once-soured inter-Korean ties -- leaving them unrecognizable from even a year ago.<br />As a result, there have been ongoing sports exchanges and friendlies between Seoul and Pyongyang over the past several months, the latest being an international table tennis tournament in the South.<br />So it shouldn't come as a massive surprise that there are more joint sporting events lined up, to keep this positive momentum going.<br />Won Jung-hwan reports.<br /> <br /> During the historic inter-Korean summit which took place in April,… the two leaders agreed to strengthen ties through sporting exchanges. <br />Since then,… the two Koreas have organized joint events in basketball and table tennis.<br />And this time, the spotlight turns to football. <br /><br /> The Ministry of Unification has confirmed on Thursday that South Korea has approved a trip by a group of young athletes to North Korea to take part in an international youth football event.<br />The under-15 football competition, which kicks off next week, will feature 6 nations including Russia and China. <br />And from South Korea,… some 150 athletes and staff members will leave for Pyongyang on Friday, taking an overland route. It will be the first time that such a large group of civilians have crossed into the North since the Moon Jae-in government took office. <br /><br /> Meanwhile, the unification ministry has also approved a trip by a group of North Koreans to South Korea to participate in an inter-Korean workers' football match on Saturday.<br />The inter-Korean workers football match, which was first held in 1999, will kick off at Seoul's Sangam World Cup Stadium in front of an expected 30-thousand spectators.<br /><br />A delegation of 64 North Koreans will travel to South by land on Friday for the event. <br /><br /> North Korean athletes will also be heading to the South later in August for the world shooting championship in Changwon, South Gyeongsang-do Province. <br />Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News. <br />
