Culture minister urges North Jeolla, Seoul to reach swift deal on joint Olympic bid

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young met North Jeolla Province Governor Lee Won-taek at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art's Seoul branch on Tuesday to discuss strategies for securing the 2036 Summer Olympics.

North Jeolla Province was selected as South Korea's candidate city at a Korean Sport & Olympic Committee vote in February last year, beating out the Seoul Metropolitan Government. In September, however, North Jeolla proposed co-hosting the Games with Seoul to address shortcomings in accommodation, transportation and venue capacity, making a revision to the original bid plan unavoidable.

In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism suspended its review of the existing hosting plan, and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said a separate process would be required to proceed with a joint bid.

Choi said that since Seoul had also indicated its willingness to actively cooperate in co-hosting discussions, the two local governments must reach an agreement as soon as possible given the International Olympic Committee's schedule for selecting a host city.

The IOC plans to narrow down, by March next year, which countries interested in bidding for the 2036 Games will be invited to enter strategic dialogue. That leaves North Jeolla Province and Seoul with little time to agree on a hosting format and division of roles before follow-up procedures must begin.

Choi added that if the two sides reach a co-hosting agreement, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee stand ready to move quickly on the necessary procedures.