Korea gets overlooked again
Here is a piece I wrote about PyeongChang's now-unsuccessful attempt to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. On July 4, the IOC chose Sochi. So much for Korean unity...
When the International Olympic Committee delegates arrived in PyeongChang on Feb. 14, a fresh layer of snow was quietly blanketing the city, giving way to sunny skies for the duration of their visit. If the weather continues to be this accommodating, PyeongChang will make an ideal host for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
After losing its 2010 bid to Vancouver, PyeongChang (with a capital 'C' to more readily distinguish it from Pyongyang) is posed to make good on their second try. The IOC, impressed with PyeongChang's planning and vision, gave it the most favorable review of the three finalists, the others being Salzberg, Austria, and Sochi, Russia. The cities will make their final presentation, and the IOC will make its final decision, in Guatemala City on July 4.
A small town once know primarily for its market (featured in a novel, "When Buckwheat Flowers Blossom" by Lee Hyoseok), PyeongChang aspires to be the tourist hub of Gangwon Province, Korea's mountainous vacation destination. The Olympics would no doubt bring huge changes for this region, whose valleys are still speckled with little family farms. Along with a projected 7.9 trillion won boost to the Province's economy and 117,000 new jobs, a high-speed rail link to Seoul would ensure a steady stream of tourists long after the games had left.
Whether because of these changes or in spite of them, the PyeongChang public has come out firmly in support of the bid. When the IOC visited, huge crowds greeted them wherever they went--"easily double the size of the crowds four years ago" according to one reporter ( ATR, Feb. 15, 2007). Also, in a public opinion poll conducted by the IOC, 91 percent of PyeongChang residents supported the bid, a far stronger figure than the competitor cities.
The IOC's report, released on June 4, emphasized the convenience of the venues and PyeongChang's goal of using the Olympics to foster improved North/South relations. The venues are to be built around two zones: mountain and coastal. PyeongChang and the near-by Yongpyeong resort would host the mountain snow sports, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the main Olympic Village. Ice events would be held on the coast in Gangneung just 25 minutes away. As Kim Jin-Sun, governor of Gangwon province, noted, "We are announcing the most compact venues concept in history of Winter Olympics," (quoted in People's Daily Online).
As for peninsular politics, the PyeongChang planning committee hopes to form a single Korean Team and to carry the Olympic torch across the entire peninsula. The two Koreas are now negotiating a untied team for the Beijing games in 2008, but the significance of hosting an Olympics together could be huge for the cause of unity on the peninsula. On the other hand, as PyongChang's slight name change highlights, having Kim Jong-Il at your doorstep can be a liability as well.
In 1988, when South Korea last hosted an Olympic games, the country was still isolated and, fresh off its first free elections, just emerging out of military dictatorship. The government issued directives on etiquette, as Beijing is doing now, like not spitting in the street, so as not to offend all the western guests. Much has changed in Korea since then. Many people, including Roh Moo-hyun, "think of the 1988 Olympics as an event which changed the very nature of Korea" ( Gangwon-do News). Perhaps 2014 will be another watershed moment for S. Korea, or for the entire peninsula.
When the International Olympic Committee delegates arrived in PyeongChang on Feb. 14, a fresh layer of snow was quietly blanketing the city, giving way to sunny skies for the duration of their visit. If the weather continues to be this accommodating, PyeongChang will make an ideal host for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
After losing its 2010 bid to Vancouver, PyeongChang (with a capital 'C' to more readily distinguish it from Pyongyang) is posed to make good on their second try. The IOC, impressed with PyeongChang's planning and vision, gave it the most favorable review of the three finalists, the others being Salzberg, Austria, and Sochi, Russia. The cities will make their final presentation, and the IOC will make its final decision, in Guatemala City on July 4.
A small town once know primarily for its market (featured in a novel, "When Buckwheat Flowers Blossom" by Lee Hyoseok), PyeongChang aspires to be the tourist hub of Gangwon Province, Korea's mountainous vacation destination. The Olympics would no doubt bring huge changes for this region, whose valleys are still speckled with little family farms. Along with a projected 7.9 trillion won boost to the Province's economy and 117,000 new jobs, a high-speed rail link to Seoul would ensure a steady stream of tourists long after the games had left.
Whether because of these changes or in spite of them, the PyeongChang public has come out firmly in support of the bid. When the IOC visited, huge crowds greeted them wherever they went--"easily double the size of the crowds four years ago" according to one reporter ( ATR, Feb. 15, 2007). Also, in a public opinion poll conducted by the IOC, 91 percent of PyeongChang residents supported the bid, a far stronger figure than the competitor cities.
The IOC's report, released on June 4, emphasized the convenience of the venues and PyeongChang's goal of using the Olympics to foster improved North/South relations. The venues are to be built around two zones: mountain and coastal. PyeongChang and the near-by Yongpyeong resort would host the mountain snow sports, the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and the main Olympic Village. Ice events would be held on the coast in Gangneung just 25 minutes away. As Kim Jin-Sun, governor of Gangwon province, noted, "We are announcing the most compact venues concept in history of Winter Olympics," (quoted in People's Daily Online).
As for peninsular politics, the PyeongChang planning committee hopes to form a single Korean Team and to carry the Olympic torch across the entire peninsula. The two Koreas are now negotiating a untied team for the Beijing games in 2008, but the significance of hosting an Olympics together could be huge for the cause of unity on the peninsula. On the other hand, as PyongChang's slight name change highlights, having Kim Jong-Il at your doorstep can be a liability as well.
In 1988, when South Korea last hosted an Olympic games, the country was still isolated and, fresh off its first free elections, just emerging out of military dictatorship. The government issued directives on etiquette, as Beijing is doing now, like not spitting in the street, so as not to offend all the western guests. Much has changed in Korea since then. Many people, including Roh Moo-hyun, "think of the 1988 Olympics as an event which changed the very nature of Korea" ( Gangwon-do News). Perhaps 2014 will be another watershed moment for S. Korea, or for the entire peninsula.
Labels: Korea
posted by Brian at 4:44 PM
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