South Korea proposes to organize friendly football matches between workers from two regions of the Korean Peninsula

(Baonghean.vn) - A North Korean representative said on May 3 that South Korea has proposed organizing friendly football matches between workers from the two Koreas in Seoul next August to promote the spirit of people-to-people exchange between the two Koreas.

Illustration photo. AFP.

North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri reported that the South Korean National Assembly Committee in a statement preparing for the June 15 inter-Korean summit said it will hold matches in Seoul on August 15 to mark the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Previously, in 2015, the two countries' labor unions held a friendly football match in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

South Korea said the football matches commemorate the 16th anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Inter-Korean relations have seen some significant improvements since 2015 following an agreement to ease military tensions between the two Koreas on August 25, 2015.

However, this relationship is gradually deteriorating after five consecutive nuclear tests conducted by Pyongyang since January 2016 and a long-range missile launch in February 2016.

Thanh Hien

(According to Yonhap)