By Kim Hyun-bin
President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed Wednesday to seek to jointly host the 2032 Olympic Games in both Seoul and Pyongyang.
The two Koreas also plan to jointly take part in several international sporting competitions starting with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and work toward co-hosting the 2032 Games, according to a joint statement released by the two leaders following their third summit in Pyongyang
No Olympic Games have been co-hosted by two cities, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"The IOC welcomes very much the intention of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to jointly host the 2032 Olympic Games," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.
Rep. Ahn Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, chairman of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, also welcomed the move.
"We welcome the joint statement that agrees to seek to co-host the 2032 Olympics. If this comes to pass, it will be the biggest moment in the 120 years of Olympic history," Ahn said in a statement.
He said the agreement clearly shows the North's determination for denuclearization. "The declaration to seek to co-host the 2032 Olympics is a certified check to bring North Korea into the international community and make the North's denuclearization determination irreversible. It will make North Korea open to the world 30 years sooner than expected."
In order to jointly host the sports extravaganza, the two Koreas will need to establish a joint Olympic P Committee. Once they start the committee, they will be on track to bid to co-host the event.
Currently, the host cities for the Olympics have been selected through 2028. Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics followed by Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.
However, there are worries that Seoul will be burdened with most of the cost; but Ahn reassured that there were many ways to cover this without heavily burdening the country.
"Some are worried the co-hosting of the Olympics could cause an economic burden on South Korea. However, we can allow local and international conglomerates to build stadiums in Pyongyang or Gaeseong, letting them brand them or we could use long-term loans from international financial organizations," Ahn said.
If the two Koreas end up co-hosting the 2032 Olympics, it will mark South Korea's third time hosting an Olympic event, following the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The two Koreas have also agreed to enhance cultural exchanges and agreed to bring a Pyongyang arts troupe to Seoul to perform in October.
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement Day, and the two Koreas are also seeking to hold a joint event to honor this.
President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed Wednesday to seek to jointly host the 2032 Olympic Games in both Seoul and Pyongyang.
The two Koreas also plan to jointly take part in several international sporting competitions starting with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and work toward co-hosting the 2032 Games, according to a joint statement released by the two leaders following their third summit in Pyongyang
No Olympic Games have been co-hosted by two cities, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"The IOC welcomes very much the intention of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to jointly host the 2032 Olympic Games," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.
Rep. Ahn Min-suk of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, chairman of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, also welcomed the move.
"We welcome the joint statement that agrees to seek to co-host the 2032 Olympics. If this comes to pass, it will be the biggest moment in the 120 years of Olympic history," Ahn said in a statement.
He said the agreement clearly shows the North's determination for denuclearization. "The declaration to seek to co-host the 2032 Olympics is a certified check to bring North Korea into the international community and make the North's denuclearization determination irreversible. It will make North Korea open to the world 30 years sooner than expected."
In order to jointly host the sports extravaganza, the two Koreas will need to establish a joint Olympic P Committee. Once they start the committee, they will be on track to bid to co-host the event.
Currently, the host cities for the Olympics have been selected through 2028. Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics followed by Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.
However, there are worries that Seoul will be burdened with most of the cost; but Ahn reassured that there were many ways to cover this without heavily burdening the country.
"Some are worried the co-hosting of the Olympics could cause an economic burden on South Korea. However, we can allow local and international conglomerates to build stadiums in Pyongyang or Gaeseong, letting them brand them or we could use long-term loans from international financial organizations," Ahn said.
If the two Koreas end up co-hosting the 2032 Olympics, it will mark South Korea's third time hosting an Olympic event, following the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
The two Koreas have also agreed to enhance cultural exchanges and agreed to bring a Pyongyang arts troupe to Seoul to perform in October.
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement Day, and the two Koreas are also seeking to hold a joint event to honor this.
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