YONHAP NEWS

N. Korean IOC member urges S. Korea to unite for PyeongChang bid

COPENHAGEN, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- A North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Tuesday that South Koreans should unite behind PyeongChang's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics to better compete against frontrunner Munich of Germany.

   "Munich is mighty. In order for PyeongChang to overcome such a strong fortress, internal unity is most important," said Chang Ung, the only North Korean member of the IOC, on the sidelines of the Olympic Congress held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

   PyeongChang, a mountainous South Korean resort city located some 180km east of Seoul, launched its third campaign to host the Winter Olympics after creating a bidding committee last month. It lost to Canada's Vancouver and Russia's Sochi in two previous attempts.

   "The first trial was the best chance for PyeongChang, but it narrowly failed. In Guatemala two years ago, PyeongChang again failed due to internal conflict."

   Chang then pointed out that the co-chairmanship of PyeongChang's new bidding committee could be problematic.

   He forecast that France's Annecy would be another powerful contender.

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

   brk@yna.co.kr
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