North Korea will send a cheering squad to the Incheon Asian Games set for September.
 
In a statement issued on Monday by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, the North said it will send the squad along with its athletes to the 17th Asian Games.
 
The statement said Pyongyang’s decision is a bid to improve inter-Korean relations and create an amicable atmosphere. It added the move will demonstrate the Korean people’s determination toward unification.
 
The North first announced in late May that it intended to send the cheering squad to the games.
 
The South Korean government will likely accept the North's decision, as a cheering squad accompanying athletes to major sports events is in line with international practices. 
 
The North's cheering squad to the South will be the first in nine years. Pyongyang sent its cheering squad to the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the 2003 Daegu Universiade and the 2005 Incheon Asian Athletics Championships.
 
A government official said South Korea will review its past experiences with the North Korean cheering squad to provide them with support, such as transportation and accommodation.
 
The official added the government is considering holding working-level meetings with North Korea to make necessary arrangements. However, the North has yet to send the Asian Games organizing committee a notice for the visit or a request for assistance.

Meanwhile, North Korean authorities are known to have selected some 100 college students and performers in May for the cheering squad and started training them.