A movie about a Japanese and a South Korean high school student who meet and fall in love at a track and field competition in the late 1970s between this city and Pusan, South Korea, has prompted sports officials of the two cities to consider resuming the event.
The high school friendship meet started in 1971 and was held every other year until 1996, when it was suspended.
The film, "Chirusoku no Natsu" ("The Stars Converge"), directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe, tells the love story of Ikuko Endo and her boyfriend, South Korean student An Daiho, against the backdrop of Japanese bias against Koreans, who in turn harbor anti-Japanese feelings, and the situation in South Korea at that time.
The film has renewed interest in reviving the sports exchanges.