SEOUL - The first sporting event between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since the death of DPRK leader Kim Jong-il takes place in China from Jan 31 to Feb 3, local media reported Tuesday.

National broadcaster KBS reported that the South Korean football club Incheon United holds the 2012 Incheon Peace Cup International Youth Football Match in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan province.

The event, the second of its kind since last year, will be participated in by four youth football teams from the ROK, the DPRK, China and Japan.

"We expect that young football talents from the four countries examine each other's skills through the matches and accumulate game experiences," an official at the Incheon United said in a press release posted on the team's website.

"It will be an opportunity to establish a bridgehead to expand cultural and economic exchanges via sports exchanges," the official said.