Seoul has been selected as South Korea's candidate city for a joint Olympic bid with North Korea,... beating out Busan.
The two Koreas have agreed to join forces to try and bring the 2032 Games to the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
The Korean Sports & Olympic Committee on Monday,... announced that Seoul was chosen as the candidate city for the 2032 Summer Games at its general assembly at the National Training Center in Jincheon, Chungcheongbuk-do Province.
The capital earned 34 out of 49 votes from the committee members.
Before the vote, Busan,... the nation's second largest city,... proposed that it become a co-candidate city with Seoul,... but the offer was rejected.
Having hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics,... Seoul now has a chance to host the event for a second time.
It also gives North Korea an opportunity to host its first ever Olympics.
North Korea has yet to announce its candidate city,... but Pyeongyang is considered a certain pick considering its infrastructure.
At the presentation on Monday,... Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon,... cited Seoul's proximity to Pyeongyang,...and to Incheon International Airport,... along with its history of various cooperative projects with North Korea.
Park said Seoul will seek to hold the opening and closing ceremonies with Pyeongyang simultaneously,... using 5G technology.
He added that thanks to Seoul's past experience of having hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics,... and the existing facilities from that competition,... hosting another Olympics will help save costs, as well.
Along with the two Koreas,... Germany, Australia, India and Indonesia have shown an interest in hosting the 2032 Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee narrows down the list of candidates to three,.. and selects the host city seven years in advance,... meaning two Koreas will know if they win the bid in 2025.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
