Bipartisan support for the 2018 Winter Olympics bid from PyeongChang will be put to the test after the election of a candidate from Korea’s main opposition party as governor of Gangwon Province, home to the bid.
A statement from the bid committee welcomes the June 2 election of Gwang Jae Lee, a 45-year-old politician from the liberal Democratic Party.
"The organizing committee of the 201 bid from PyeongChang welcomes the new governor’s commitment to the bid and to securing the winter Olympic and Paralympic Games for Korea.
"Bid chairman Yang Ho Cho and the governor will speak shortly to plan their cooperation and partnership going forward," says the statement.
Around the Rings is told that Lee may not necessarily assume the co-chairmanship held by outgoing Governor Jin Sun Kim, who had to leave after a three-term limit.
Governor Lee’s role with the bid is expected to be a major topic for the first meeting between him and Cho. The Gangwon provincial government is the major backer of the Olympic bid.
Lee is a firm supporter of the bid, a PyeongChang native who handled Olympic bid matters for the 2010 and 2014 campaigns in the administration of Korean President Moo Hyun Roh from 2003 and 2008.
While outgoing Governor Kim is supposed to take a leading role in the bid after leaving office, it remains to be seen whether the new governor will agree to a post with much influence for a rival party leader.
Democratic Party candidates won victories across Korea Wednesday, eroding the position of the ruling Grand National Party. The election was viewed as a midterm test for GNP President Myung Bak Lee, who is enmeshed in the aftermath of the Korean naval boat sinking blamed on North Korea.
The gains of the Democratic Party also includeda mayoral victory inPyeongChang, the namesake and center of action for the Olympic bid. In nearby Gangneung, the coastal city that would host the ice events for the Olympics, the incumbent GNP mayor was reelected.
Annecy, France and Munich, Germany are also seeking the 2018 Olympics.
Daegu, Busan Mayors Re-Elected
Two big-city mayors with their eyes on world sport won re-election Wednesday in the Korean local elections.
By a big margin, Daegu voters returned Beom Il Kim to office, a GNP candidate.
His effort to secure the 2011 IAAF Athletics World Championships for Daegu was considered a plus.
Nam Sik Hur, the ambitious mayor of Busan, won his re-election bid to lead South Korea’s second-biggest city.
Hur would like to bring the Summer Olympics to the southern port city, a past Asian Games host.
Written by Ed Hula.
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