Koreas' labor unions to hold football match in Pyongyang

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- Labor unions of the two Koreas agreed to hold a friendly football match in the North Korean capital Pyongyang next month as part of efforts to promote cross-border exchanges in the private sector, union officials said Wednesday. Representatives from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a meeting with their North Korean counterparts in the North's border city of Kaesong to discuss details of the sports event. The latest agreement comes after Seoul and Pyongyang reached a landmark deal on Aug. 25 to ease military tension and promote civilian inter-Korean exchanges. "We will make efforts to expand private-sector exchanges between the two Koreas for peace and reunification," union officials said. The labor unions will hold a second working-level meeting on Oct. 13 in Kaesong to fine tune the details. The South Korean labor union groups originally sought to hold football games among workers of the two Koreas in May, but the government had rejected their bid at that time, citing its political nature. The Unification Ministry, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, said it will take into account overall inter-Korean relations this time in approving related South Korean visits to North Korea. Workers of the two sides previously had friendly matches in 1999 and 2007. sooyeon@yna.co.kr (END)