YONHAP NEWS

PyeongChang inaugurates bidding committee for 2018 Winter Olympics

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- PyeongChang, a mecca of South Korean winter sports, on Monday inaugurated a bidding committee for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, embarking on a third attempt to host the global sports event after two failures.

At the inaugural ceremony held in Seoul, hundreds of government, business and sports officials, including Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon and Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) President Park Yong-sung, renewed their determination to help PyeongChang win its Olympic bid, officials said.

"Going through its two previous failures, PyeongChang has now been completely prepared to play host to the world's top-level sports event," said Han at the ceremony. "This time, the government will extend its maximum support to PyeongChang."

   Following the ceremony, the committee held its first general meeting and elected Kim Jin-sun, governor of Gangwon Province, and Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho as its co-chairmen, while appointing 10 renowned figures, including former Samsung Group Chairman and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Lee Kun-hee and Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the ruling Grand National Party and vice president of FIFA, as its advisers, said the officials.

   PyeongChang, a popular winter sports resort located some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, was officially endorsed by the KOC in April to become the country's candidate city for the Winter Olympics. In June, the South Korean government approved PyeongChang's Olympic bid, promising its full financial support for the Gangwon Province city.

   It has lost its previous Winter Games bids to Vancouver, Canada, for 2010 and to Sochi, Russia, for 2014.

   "PyeongChang will surely win the bid this time with the bitter experience of two previous failures, adjusting to changed environment of the international sports community with coherent strategies," Gangwon Province governor Kim told reporters after the ceremony.

   "I know we need the concerted efforts from the South Korean government, the KOC and the South Korean people."

   Co-chairman Cho also expressed his determination, saying, "I assume great responsibility for leading the bidding committee for PyeongChang's third attempt. I'll ensure that Hanjin's international networks and corporate experience will be helpful to the bidding efforts."

   The IOC is planning to select the host city of the 2018 Winter Olympics at its general meeting in 2011 in Durban, South Africa.

   PyeongChang is expected to compete with Germany's Munich and France's Annecy, and China's Harbin is reportedly moving to jump into the race.

   Officials said that PyeongChang's bidding committee will submit its official application to the IOC by October before starting a full-scale global promotion campaign.

   brk@yna.co.kr
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