By Kim Yun-sik
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games is scheduled to take place in PyeongChang in the mountainous Gangwon Province, South Korea, after its bid was chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The two other candidates that applied to host the Games were Annecy and Munich.
After losing in two consecutive bids to Vancouver and Sochi; PyeongChang won the right to host the 2018 Olympics. PyeongChang gleaned 63 votes against Munich’s 25 and Annecy’s 7. IOC President Jacques Rogge admitted he was surprised that the vote was concluded in the first round, but the best one, PyeongChang, won convincingly. It was South Korea’s patience and perseverance that prevailed.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak travelled to Durban, South Africa, to make a personal pitch for the 2018 Games. The news of PyeongChang’s victory came near midnight in Korea and the resort residents danced and waved national and Olympic flags as they chanted, “This is the happiest day for our town.”
Let me venture back to an earlier period in the nation’s sporting activities. In the early 1970s, the economic policies of Seoul received global attention because it showed the world that the Asian economy had the strength to stand on its own. From then on South Korea has been known as a rising economic power.
In 1978 South Korea hosted the 42nd World Shooting Championship at the Taeneung International Shooting Range. It was the first time in history that an Asian nation hosted the event. The nation had grasped the world’s attention, once again. Holding the event allowed the world a close-up view of the booming Korean economy.
In September 1981, Seoul suggested that South Korea host the 1988 Summer Olympics. On Sept. 30, 1981, the IOC announced that Seoul had won the bid for the 1988 Summer Games. Cuba’s President Fidel Castor suggested that North Korea should be a co-host and the North demanded that a special opening and closing ceremony be held through a joint organization committee, but the IOC could not meet the North’s demands.
Unsatisfied with the response of the Olympic committee, North Korea boycotted the Olympics along with Cuba, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Albania, the Seychelles and Madagascar.
With 13,004 athletes from 160 countries competing in 1,030 events the turnout was extraordinary. The Games resulted in a sporting spectacular that brought 30,000 Olympic family members and 300,000 tourists. The Seoul Games turned out to be the largest Olympic event to date.
The race for Olympic medals was won by the Soviet Union who obtained 55 gold, 31 silver and 46 bronze medals. East Germany was second with 37 golds, 35 silvers and 39 bronzes. The U.S. placed third with 36 golds, 31 silvers and 27 bronze medals.
South Korea brought home 12 gold, 10 silver and 11 bronze medals; placing them fourth ahead of West Germany, who only managed to get 11 golds. The tranquility of the Games’ environment was owed to security efforts of the South Korean government supported by the U.S. government. There was a good atmosphere during the Olympics.
The hosting of the Games contributed to a change in the international political environment. They served as a catalyst to defuse the Cold War, by harmonizing South Korea with the Soviet Union, China, and the Eastern European bloc. This made South Korea’s relationship with these countries stronger.
The Soviet Union even participated in Pre-Olympic Conference National Committees held in Seoul in 1986. South Korean Olympic representatives, even without the diplomatic recognition of the Republic of Korea, visited the Soviet Union, China, and Eastern European socialist countries.
The success of the Seoul Games was credited to the all-out efforts made by the officials and people of South Korea. Thirty-three world records and 27 Olympic records were set. Attendance totaled approximately a quarter of a million and 2.5 billion people throughout the world watched the Games.
The Olympics prove to be a great tool in the development of the South Korean economy. The Korean Olympic Committee concluded its operation with a profit of $349 million. Following its hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics, Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
PyeongChang would be a compact Winter Olympics with travel times of less than 30 minutes by car between the main accommodation in the Alpensia resort and the venues and just 10 minutes between the venues themselves.
The slogan of PyeongChang would be “New Horizons.” Its logo suggests the winter scenery of PyeongChang with snow on the mountains. However, the urgent issue will be construction of a railroad which will link Incheon International Airport to PyeongChang and its venues.
The 2018 Olympics is estimated to earn approximately 32 trillion won. Korea’s local brands are expected to rake in 11.6 trillion won. Tourism will grow because of PyeongChong’s rise as a global tourist attraction.
South Korea is grateful to be named host of both the Summer and Winter Olympics. I know the 2018 Winter Olympics will be a success. As a result South Korea will grow stronger as a nation with a renewed sense of national pride on the world stage.
The writer is a professor at the Asian Division, the University of Maryland, Yongsan, Seoul. He can be reached at rokmankim@hotmail.com