2021 Asian Games Could Be Co-Hosted by 2 Koreas – S Korean Provincial Governor

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Choi Moon-soon, the governor of the South Korean Gangwon province, where Pyeongchang, the 2018 Olympic Capital is located, said Saturday that there is a possibility that the two Korean states will co-host the 2021 Asian Winter Games (AWG).

“We will start the process [for a feasibility review] soon after the Pyeongchang Winter Games,” Choi said speaking about a potential joint bid to co-host the AWG, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

According to the South Korean governor, if the two states co-host the AWG, this will allow them to continue “inter-Korean exchanges and reconciliation through sports” as well as to use the infrastructure constructed for the 2018 Olympics after the end of the games.

“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,” the governor added.

Pyeongchang is currently hosting the 2018 Olympics that will continue until February 25. Participation of North Korea in the international sports event was under question ahead of the Games, however Seoul and Pyongyang succeeded to reach an agreement on partaking of the North Korean team in the Pyeongchang Games. Under the deal the two Koreas’ national teams marched together under a “unification flag” at the opening ceremony and formed a joint team for women’s ice hockey.