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.
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.
So it shouldn't come as a massive surprise that there are more joint sporting events lined up, to keep this positive momentum going.
Won Jung-hwan reports.

During the historic inter-Korean summit which took place in April,… the two leaders agreed to strengthen ties through sporting exchanges.
Since then,… the two Koreas have organized joint events in basketball and table tennis.
And this time, the spotlight turns to football.

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.
The under-15 football competition, which kicks off next week, will feature 6 nations including Russia and China.
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.

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.
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.

A delegation of 64 North Koreans will travel to South by land on Friday for the event.

North Korean athletes will also be heading to the South later in August for the world shooting championship in Changwon, South Gyeongsang-do Province.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.