A North Korean taekwondo team will visit the United States for the first time in October for a goodwill tour in major cities, an Internet web site said Friday.

Taekwondo Times, a magazine on martial arts, said about 20 performers and masters will arrive in the U.S. on Oct. 4. They will perform first in Los Angeles on Oct. 6 and travel on to San Francisco; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Louisville, Kentucky. The tour ends in Atlanta on Oct. 14.

The Los Angeles performance is expected to be aired on U.S. television.

North Korea and the U.S., yet to normalize relations, have been seeking various exchanges to help improve bilateral ties.

Earlier this month, North Korea invited the New York Philharmonic to perform in Pyongyang.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Yonhap)