Sport and cultural exchanges between countries and individuals “who are not on the best of terms” could help ease tensions, Spavor said in an interview. “At the very least, the involved individuals … can break down or dismiss preconceived negative ideas about each other.”

North Korea has launched an estimated 1 million propaganda leaflets by balloon into South Korea amid increased tension between the rivals following the North's recent nuclear test, Seoul officials said Monday. A Cold War-style standoff flared since the North's claim on Jan. 6 that it had tested a hydrogen bomb.

After the latest nuclear experiment conducted by North Korea that consisted of detonating a nuclear device underground close to the Chinese border, more and more Chinese people are having second thoughts in regards to the once tight relationship between the two countries. China is considered to be the biggest supporter of the North Korean state and one of the only friends they have left in world politics.

Some commentators have posited that the test was a signal aimed at China, designed to demonstrate North Korea's independence from its great-power patron. Others think that Kim Jong-un was sending a message to the newly elected president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. Still other North Korea experts have suggested that the test was actually meant for domestic consumption, to lift the sagging morale of a deprived public or for the regime to curry favor with the military.