Politics
16:52, 17-Feb-2018
ROK province considers plan to host Asian games with DPRK – Yonhap
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A province of the Republic of Korea (ROK) is considering a proposal to co-host the 2021 Asian Winter Games with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in a bid to promote inter-Korean exchanges, Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday.
"We will start the process (for a feasibility review) soon after the PyeongChang Winter Games," Governor Choi Moon-soon of the province of Gangwon-do, said at a press conference in Gangneung, a sub-host city of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games.
The governor added that the plan would enable "a better utilization of the infrastructure of PyeongChang after the games and continued inter-Korean exchanges and reconciliation through sports."
Relations between the ROK and the DPRK began to thaw after the latter expressed the wish to attend the PyeongChang Games.
(From L) South Korea's President Moon Jae In, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK's Supreme People's Assembly, and Kim Yo Jong, sister of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, watch together a women's preliminary round ice hockey game between the unified Korean team and Switzerland in Gangneung, ROK, at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
(From L) South Korea's President Moon Jae In, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the DPRK's Supreme People's Assembly, and Kim Yo Jong, sister of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, watch together a women's preliminary round ice hockey game between the unified Korean team and Switzerland in Gangneung, ROK, at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 10, 2018. /VCG Photo
The DPRK sent 22 athletes and a delegation to PyeongChang, which includes DPRK leader's sister Kim Yo Jong and the country's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam. And ROK President Moon Jae-in had a historical meeting with the delegation at Seoul's presidential Blue House.
"We see that the mood is ripe enough for the two Koreas to pursue a joint bid to host a winter sports event, as the foundation for inter-Korean exchanges has been laid by the PyeongChang Games, and the resolve of the current administration and the international community to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula has become clear," noted the governor.
Speaking of the venue for the games, Choi said he is considering the PyeongChang Olympics facilities and the Masikryong Ski Resort on the outskirts of the eastern city of Wonsan in the DPRK, said Yonhap.