Having majored in chemistry and played American football at university, Tomoyuki Banba never imagined he would lead an organization to promote relations between Japan and South Korea in the future.

"I visited South Korea for a friendship match but never thought I'd get a job related to South Korea," the 39-year-old said.

Banba will become director of the planned Japanese branch of Korea NGO Network, which is a group of civic and religious organizations active in South Korea.