South Korea has chosen its capital, Seoul, for its bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics, which it hopes to jointly host with rival North Korea as a peace gesture.

South Korea’s Olympic committee announced the decision after a meeting Monday in which Seoul received 34 of 49 votes, edging out the southern port city of Busan.

The Koreas are expected to officially inform the International Olympic Committee of their intent to co-host the 2032 Olympics on Friday during a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. While North Korea has yet to formally announce its candidate city for the Olympics, its capital, Pyongyang, is seen as the obvious choice because it’s much more developed than other North Korean cities.

While Monday’s decision by the South Korean Olympic committee needs approval from the country’s sports and finance ministries, that is seen as a formality since the government has described the 2032 Games as a crucial opportunity to stabilize relations with North Korea.

Following a meeting of their leaders in September, the rival Koreas agreed to pursue a joint bid for the 2032 Olympics and also send combined teams to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, among other steps to promote reconciliation.

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“Seoul will cooperate with the national government so that the 2032 Summer Olympics become something more than a sports festival — an opportunity to change the fate of the Korean Peninsula,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a statement.

Currently it would be extremely difficult to host the Olympics in North Korea because of heavy U.S.-led sanctions against the North which are unlikely to be removed until it takes firmer steps toward relinquishing its nuclear weapons. There continue to be doubts whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to deal away an arsenal he may see as his strongest guarantee of survival.

There is also declining public support among South Koreans for hosting large sports events due to worries over huge costs.

Following a provocative series of nuclear and missile tests in 2017, Kim met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in three times last year and also held a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June in Singapore. But the summits failed to produce much substance regarding how and when North Korea would denuclearize, and negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang seemed to be reaching a stalemate before they agreed to a second Trump-Kim meeting on Feb. 27-28 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

For some South Koreans, it’s mind-boggling that the Koreas are even talking about jointly hosting the Olympics. North Korea boycotted the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics, both held in Seoul, and relations dramatically worsened ahead of the Seoul Olympics with the North’s bombing of a South Korean passenger jet that killed all 115 aboard in November 1987.

The Koreas have often used sports to facilitate diplomacy. North Korea sent hundreds of people to the Winter Olympics in South Korea’s Pyeongchang in February last year, including Kim’s sister, who conveyed her desire for an inter-Korean summit following tensions over North Korea’s weapons tests.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has chosen its capital, Seoul, for its bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics, which it hopes to jointly host with rival North Korea as a peace gesture. South…

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has chosen its capital, Seoul, for its bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics, which it hopes to jointly host with rival North Korea as a peace gesture.

South Korea’s Olympic committee announced the decision after a meeting Monday in which Seoul received 34 of 49 votes, edging out the southern port city of Busan.

The Koreas are expected to officially inform the International Olympic Committee of their intent to co-host the 2032 Olympics on Friday during a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. While North Korea has yet to formally announce its candidate city for the Olympics, its capital, Pyongyang, is seen as the obvious choice because it’s much more developed than other North Korean cities.

While Monday’s decision by the South Korean Olympic committee needs approval from the country’s sports and finance ministries, that is seen as a formality since the government has described the 2032 Games as a crucial opportunity to stabilize relations with North Korea.

Following a meeting of their leaders in September, the rival Koreas agreed to pursue a joint bid for the 2032 Olympics and also send combined teams to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, among other steps to promote reconciliation.

“Seoul will cooperate with the national government so that the 2032 Summer Olympics become something more than a sports festival — an opportunity to change the fate of the Korean Peninsula,” Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said in a statement.

Currently it would be extremely difficult to host the Olympics in North Korea because of heavy U.S.-led sanctions against the North which are unlikely to be removed until it takes firmer steps toward relinquishing its nuclear weapons. There continue to be doubts whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to deal away an arsenal he may see as his strongest guarantee of survival.

There is also declining public support among South Koreans for hosting large sports events due to worries over huge costs.

Following a provocative series of nuclear and missile tests in 2017, Kim met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in three times last year and also held a historic summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June in Singapore. But the summits failed to produce much substance regarding how and when North Korea would denuclearize, and negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang seemed to be reaching a stalemate before they agreed to a second Trump-Kim meeting on Feb. 27-28 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

For some South Koreans, it’s mind-boggling that the Koreas are even talking about jointly hosting the Olympics. North Korea boycotted the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics, both held in Seoul, and relations dramatically worsened ahead of the Seoul Olympics with the North’s bombing of a South Korean passenger jet that killed all 115 aboard in November 1987.

The Koreas have often used sports to facilitate diplomacy. North Korea sent hundreds of people to the Winter Olympics in South Korea’s Pyeongchang in February last year, including Kim’s sister, who conveyed his desire for an inter-Korean summit following tensions over North Korea’s weapons tests.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

Seoul is hoping to “change the fate of the Korean peninsula” with the launch of a bid to jointly host the 2032 Olympic Games with North Korea.

Representatives from both Koreas are expected to submit their plans to co-host the event at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday. The South Korean Olympic Committee chose Seoul, a previous Olympic host, over the southern port city of Busan on Monday.

The decision to involve North Korea in the bid reflects warmer diplomatic ties between the neighbours, a year after North Korea sent athletes, supporters and officials to the Winter Olympics in the South Korean alpine town of Pyeongchang.

South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, who favours engagement with the regime in Pyongyang, has also suggested the two countries bid to co-host the 2030 World Cup. The countries also plan to send combined teams to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

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North Korea has yet to announce which city will join Seoul to bid for the 2032 Games, but experts say Pyongyang would be the obvious choice given its relatively advanced infrastructure.

Officials described a jointly-hosted Olympics as an unprecedented opportunity for sports diplomacy to bring stability to the Korean peninsula.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (L) shakes hands with South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in (R) at the Military Demarcation Line that divides their countries ahead of a summit in April 2018. Photograph: Korea Summit Press Pool/AFP/Getty Images

“Seoul will cooperate with the national government so that the 2032 summer Olympics become something more than a sports festival – an opportunity to change the fate of the Korean peninsula,” Seoul’s mayor, Park Won-soon, said in a statement.

The feasibility of an inter-Korean Olympics would depend on the fate of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes – the subject of talks in Hanoi at the end of the month between the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and Donald Trump.

Sanctions that would make cross-border cooperation on Olympic infrastructure practically impossible are expected to remain in place until Pyongyang demonstrates a willingness to dismantle its nuclear programme.

Nevertheless, serious discussion of a North Korean role in hosting the Games would have been unthinkable just two years ago, when the regime invited widespread condemnation after a volley of missile launches and its sixth nuclear test.

North Korea boycotted the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 summer Olympics, which were both held in Seoul. Bilateral ties deteriorated dramatically ahead of the Seoul Games, after the North bombed a South Korean airliner in November 1987, killing all 115 people on board. </s> North and South Korea are planning to launch a joint bid to host the 2032 summer Olympics together, the reports.

The Koreas are expected to present their plans to co-host the Games at the International Olympic City in Lausanne, Switzerland, this Friday. Representatives from the two countries will be in attendance.

The South Korean Olympic Committee chose Seoul, which hosted the Olympics in 1988, for the bid. North Korea has not announced which of its cities would join Seoul, but experts say it is likely to be Pyongyang.

North Korea’s participation in sporting events has in the past been hindered by the country’s relationship with the South. In 1986, the country boycotted the Asian Games, and two years later, the summer Olympics. Both were held in South Korea.

But South Korean President Moon Jae-In has expressed interest in engagement with Pyongyang since assuming office in 2017. Last year, he invited North Korean athletes, supporters and officials to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the two countries’ delegations marching under one flag.

The launch of a joint bid represents a further warming of ties between the Koreas. Officials say a jointly-hosted Olympics is an opportunity for sports diplomacy to bring stability to the Korean peninsula, but its feasibility is dependent on North Korea’s denuclearization plans, which will be discussed during upcoming talks between Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi. </s> • South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to make several steps towards denuclearization to promote "a land of peace" after their summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
• One of the key parts of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration included the "permanent dismantlement" of North Korea's primary nuclear facility in Yongbyon, and allowing international inspectors to observe the disassembly of an engine test site.
• Moon prefaced this plan by noting the US needed to reciprocate the measure.
• Kim and Moon also agreed to collaborate on a bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. Additionally, Kim said he "promised" to visit Seoul "in the near future."

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to make several steps toward denuclearization to promote "a land of peace" after their summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday.

Kim and Moon signed the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, which offered more specifics than in previous agreements, in front of gaggle of news reporters for their third summit meeting. Moon arrived on Wednesday as the first South Korean president in Pyongyang in 11 years.

One of the key parts of the agreement included the "permanent dismantlement" of North Korea's primary nuclear facility in Yongbyon, and allowing international inspectors to confirm the disassembly of an engine test site. Moon prefaced this plan by noting the US needed to reciprocate the measure.

"We have agreed to make the Korean Peninsula a land of peace that is free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threat," Kim said. "The road to our future will not always be smooth and we may face challenges and trials we can't anticipate. But we aren't afraid of headwinds because our strength will grow as we overcome each trial based on the strength of our nation."

Kim and Moon also agreed to make a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. The two countries competed together during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, despite some protests from conservative South Korean lawmakers and athletes. The move was part of an initial effort to improve relations between the two Koreas ahead of a summit between the US and North Korea, which took place in June.

Kim also said he "promised" to visit Seoul "in the near future." Moon reiterated the claim by saying that a potential visit may take place in 2018 "unless there are certain special circumstances." A visit by a North Korean leader to Seoul, the first since the Korean Peninsula was divided, would likely spark mass protests, just as it did when North Korea's delegation of athletes and musical performers visited the country during the Winter Olympics.

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's father, made a similar promise to visit Seoul after a summit in 2000, but the trip never happened.

While the two leaders expressed cautious optimism in the months ahead, the US, South Korea's key ally, expressed concern over the developments. US-North Korean diplomatic relations have seemingly stalled after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suddenly canceled his trip to North Korea in August.

President Donald Trump embraced Kim since their June meeting in Singapore. Conversely, Trump has sought to drive a wedge between China and the North, at times scapegoating China for slowing the diplomatic process.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a skeptic of North Korea's recent outreach to the international community, said he was "concerned" over Moon's visit to Pyongyang.

"I'm concerned South Korea's visit is going to undermine efforts by [Pompeo] and [US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley] to impose maximum pressure on the North Korean regime," Graham said in a tweet on Tuesday. "While North Korea has stopped testing missiles and nuclear devices, they have NOT moved toward denuclearization."

"South Korea should not be played by Kim Jong Un," Graham added. </s> Moon and Kim announced a sweeping set of agreements including a vow to work together to host the Summer Olympics in 2032.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands after signing the documents at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in a statement Wednesday that the countries planned to jointly bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics.

At a major summit, the two leaders gave no details of which cities might host certain events at the games, or how advanced the plans were.

The International Olympic Committee traditionally does not announce host cities until seven years ahead of the games. That would give the Koreas until 2025 to put together a joint bid.

Germany, with a multi-city bid, Brisbane, Australia and Jakarta, Indonesia are among those who have indicated they would bid for the 2032 Games. The India Olympic Committee has also said it could bid for 2032, as has South Africa’s Olympic committee in an attempt to bring the Olympics to Africa for the first time.

A successful bid by the Koreas would mark the second time South Korea hosted or co-hosted the Summer Games, the first being 1988 in Seoul. South Korea also hosted the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in February.

Related: Kim agrees to dismantle main nuke site if US takes steps too

Asia features in the next two Olympics — the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, which also hosted the summer version in 2008.

The joint statement Wednesday also said the Koreas would look to co-operate in major sports events such as the 2020 Games, also without elaborating.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. </s> North and South Korea will jointly pursue a bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics, representatives announced in a news conference Wednesday in Pyongyang, North Korea.

The bid is part of a larger move toward peace on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreeing on the first steps toward denuclearization and peace. No immediate details about the Olympic bid, such as which cities would host it, were revealed.

South Korea hosted the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, with athletes from the two countries forming a unified team. A successful 2032 bid would bring the Summer Games to the peninsula for the first time since Seoul hosted the 1988 competition.

Brisbane, Australia, plans to bid for the 2032 Games and Germany has announced plans for a multi-city bid. Tokyo will host the 2020 Games, which move to Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028. Beijing is the site of the 2022 Winter Olympics. </s> Seoul edges out its rival Busan as South Korea's chosen city to host the 2032 Summer Olympics

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea has picked its capital Seoul for its bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics, which it aims to jointly host with North Korea.

The Koreas will officially inform the International Olympic Committee of their decision to bid at an event in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, February 15.

North Korea is expected to announce its candidate city later this week – the likely choice is its capital Pyongyang – before or during the IOC meeting, Seoul officials told AFP.

The decision to pursue a joint bid – as well as to jointly participate in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games –was made following a series of inter-Korean talks last year, as cross-border reconciliation gathered pace.

In a meeting held by the country's Olympic committee on Monday, February 11, Seoul edged out its rival, the southern port city of Busan.

Seoul mayor Park Won-soon said he would ensure the bid serves as an opportunity to "change the fate of the Korean peninsula".

"If the 1988 Seoul Olympics was 'reconciliation Olympics' amid the cold war between East and West and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics was a touchstone of peace, the 2032 Olympics will be promoted to become the last stop to establish the peace".

The last time Seoul hosted the summer Olympics, in 1988, Pyongyang boycotted the Games.

But in recent months the Koreas have turned to sports diplomacy to ease tensions.

During the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last year, North Korea sent leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, to express the reclusive regime's interest in an inter-Korean summit.

The unified Korean women's ice hockey team was also a symbol of unity in Pyeongchang, despite losing all their games and finishing last.

Kim Jong Un went on to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in three times in the wake of the Games and held a landmark summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June.

However, the joint bid poses some difficulties. North Korea is subject to economic sanctions and these are unlikely to be lifted by the UN Security Council unless Pyongyang takes firmer steps toward denuclearization. – Rappler.com </s> North and South Korea have agreed to seek to jointly host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

The announcement was made at a news conference held Wednesday in Pyongyang, North Korea. That revelation was part of a much larger development toward peace on the Korean peninsula, where North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to new steps to denuclearize.

As far as the 2032 Summer Olympics is concerned, the two Korean leaders gave no details of which cities might host events or how advanced the plans were.

If the two nations move forward with a bid for the 2032 Games, it could bring the Summer Olympics to the Korean peninsula for the first time since 1988, when Seoul was host. Of course, the 2018 Winter Olympics were hosted by South Korea in PyeongChang, where athletes from North and South Korea formed a unified Olympic team.

Tokyo (2020), Paris (2024) and Los Angeles (2028) are slated to host the next three Summer Olympics. Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Germany has already announced plans for a multi-city bid for 2032, as has Brisbane, Australia. The India Olympic Committee has also indicated its interest in hosting the 2032 Games.
North Korea says it will dismantle its Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center if the U.S. takes reciprocal measures. North and South Korea say they will seek a joint bid to host the 2032 Summer Olympics.