Kim Jin-sun - true hero of PyeongChang’s success

By Kim Ji-soo, Yi Whan-woo

There is a Korean saying that 10 years will change mountains and rivers.

Perhaps that’s what unfolded, along with the trials and errors of Korea’s Winter Games’ bids, in Kim Jin-sun’s mind on July 6 in Durban, South Africa.

“I cried for some time. People said to me don’t cry. I remember so many thoughts going through my mind. So many people who made sacrifices,” said Kim, special ambassador of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games Bid Committee and a three-time Gangwon Province governor who was with the bid from the outset.

He closed his eyes for a minute, as if the feelings were still raw in an interview Wednesday.

Kim was pictured crying, his face in his hands, when PyeongChang was announced the winner.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the innumerable people who worked to make this happen. I learned that deep sincerity will move heaven,” the 64-year-old said.

“I would also like to thank the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IOC members for giving overwhelming support for PyeongChang.”

The idea to host the Winter Games at the start was simple, a hope for a better future for his province, yet ambitious. Kim is a native of Donghae, Gangwon Province.

Since becoming Gangwon governor in 1998, Kim said he wanted to upgrade the eastern province, but could do so only by “embracing the nation and world.”

“The province lagged behind other regions in the country, and I wanted to come up with something that could propel my province in the shortest time possible.”

Kim seized on the city’s geographical advantage in winter sports, an idea that was inspired by his visit to Nagano, Japan, the host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.

“There were a lot of similarities, the region itself, infrastructure, transportation and the concepts. I believed we could attract the Winter Games, too,” said Kim.

Yongpyeong, a mountain town in PyeongChang, was locally a well-known winter sports venue at that time.

Kim, then a civil servant, also saw how the 1988 Seoul Olympics virtually put the nation on the world map.

Kim’s wish eventually grew into not only an agenda for Gangwon but also for South Korea. By 1999, the country listed PyeongChang as a candidate for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

In its first bid, Kim faced stark reality; the candidate city was merely making its name heard in the world for the first time while the other two competitors, Salzburg of Austria and Vancouver of Canada, were well known. Vancouver was the eventual winner.

“PyeongChang was seen as a remote, rural area, and we often had people from overseas confuse PyeongChang and Pyongyang (the capital of North Korea),” Kim said.

After losing in its first bid, PyeongChang suffered another defeat in its second attempt for the 2014 Games. Sochi of Russia backed by then-Russian President Vladimir Putin triumphed over PyeongChang and Salzburg.

Perhaps the hardest moment for Kim was when deciding on making PyeongChang’s third bid.

“People were skeptical. Many said PyeongChang didn’t have a chance. It was a very, very difficult decision to make.”

To Kim, however, bringing the Winter Games to the city was something that he could not give up. There was too much to gain from hosting the Winter Games, and throwing in the towel seemed like denying the initial spirit of the mission.

Kim said that like the others on the committee, he threw himself headlong into the third attempt, “as if I were standing on the edge of a cliff.”

Kim also recognized the full support of the government, especially President Lee Myung-bak.

“Some tend to misunderstand that the successful bid centered around Gangwon Province, but it’s not true.”

He said the bid received great support from the central government. President Lee arrived in Durban days before the IOC’s General Assembly to meet with every IOC member to ask for their vote.

“A head of state staying five days and six nights was unprecedented, and Lee shaking hands with an IOC official really does have an effect,” Kim said.

With about seven years to go before the Winter Olympics, preparations have to begin in earnest to build the venues to allow a compact setting for the athletes, and to generate more participants in winter sports across-the-board rather than in just several popular events. Korea’s medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics came mainly in speed skating, short track and Kim Yu-na’s record breaking success in figure skating.

A large number of Winter Olympics host cities have not produced profitable Games. The 1998 Nagano Olympics poured in some $19 billion, but the government later had to take on $11 billion in debt, as the economy spiraled downward.

Asked whether he will join the organizing committee, expected to be launched within the next three months, Kim answered cautiously.

“I have accumulated knowhow, so I can play a facilitating role wherever I may be. At the very least, I will volunteer for it.”