In a press release, the Seoul city government said the Games could serve as a “watershed moment” for peace in the Korean Peninsula.
When the IOC originally announced that Brisbane was the preferred location for the 2032 Olympic Games, South Korean national government and Seoul city government officials expressed their “regret” in a statement.
Named “Beyond the Line, Toward the Future”, the Seoul government said in a press release that it hoped the “Games could be a “catalyst that serves both the IOC’s vision of sports bringing world peace, and the long-standing wish of the South Korean government to achieve peace and harmony on the Korean Peninsula.”
According to a Unification Ministry press release from December 14, 2018, North and South Korea agreed to send a joint proposal to the IOC on hosting 2032 Games together “in a close future.”
They also discussed attending the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games together, even forming a single joint team together, the Ministry said.
According to North Korean state news agency KCNA, the North Korean Olympic Committee met on Friday, March 26, but there were no details published about the 2032 bid, specifically.
The report cited North Korean officials’ hope that athletes from the North would win more medals at international competitions over the next five years to “add glory to our dignified nation.”