Inter-Korean exchanges in the civil sector have sharply increased since the bilateral deal on Aug. 25 to defuse cross-border tensions, with the number of South Korean visitors to the North having jumped 20-fold last month from the previous month.

According to data from Seoul’s Unification Ministry, some 880 South Koreans traveled to the North in October, excluding the number of South Koreans who visited Mount Geumgangsan from Oct. 20-26 for the reunions of families separated by the border.

Between January and September, a monthly average of only around 40 South Koreans visited the North.

The increase in the number of visitors is unusual, given that Seoul still maintains the “May 24” economic sanctions against Pyongyang, which were put in place as punitive measures after Pyongyang’s torpedo attack on the South Korean warship Cheonan in 2010 that killed 46 sailors.

In October, various joint civil events were held, pushing up the number of visitors. The events included an inter-Korean soccer game involving workers and an exhibition of relics excavated at Manwoldae, the royal palace of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392).

South Korean civil groups’ humanitarian assistance rose to around 1.1 billion won ($954,000) between September and October. They had previously offered their aid through international aid agencies, as Pyongyang refused to accept it straight from them.