North Jeolla Province Wavering on 2036 Summer Olympics Bid Strategy

Solo Bid Preparations Complete, But Suddenly Considering Joint Hosting With Seoul

"Not Giving Up on Solo Hosting"... If Talks Fail, Original Plan Remains

The strategy of North Jeolla Province for hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics is facing mounting controversy as it has yet to find clear direction. After being selected as the domestic candidate city last year, the province had been pushing for a solo bid, but recently altered its approach by entering discussions with Seoul for a joint bid. As a result, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has postponed its review by the International Sports Event Hosting Review Committee, effectively placing North Jeolla Province's bidding strategy at a new crossroads.

The North Jeolla provincial government has strongly refuted any claims that it has given up on a solo bid. However, as it prepares to submit its single-host proposal and is now reconsidering a joint bid with Seoul, it cannot avoid criticism that it has sown confusion in the process.

Kim Jongpil, head of the 2036 Summer Olympics Bid Committee, expressed deep regret over related reports at a briefing on the 18th, stating, "The claim that North Jeolla Province has abandoned its plan to host the Olympics alone is not true."

He explained that the postponement of the Ministry's review had also been at North Jeolla Province's request, as more time was needed to adjust the bid plan given ongoing discussions about joint hosting with Seoul. The provincial government also emphasized that preparations for a solo bid have been completed. The cooperation agreement for the use of Seoul’s facilities was finalized following resolution by the Seoul Metropolitan Council on the 11th, and all relevant documents have been submitted to the Ministry, meaning the conditions are in place for a review of the solo bid.

Despite this, the situation has become complicated with North Jeolla Province pursuing joint hosting with Seoul.

On September 7, North Jeolla Governor Lee Wontak met with Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon at Seoul City Hall, presenting a proposal for joint hosting. The intent was to leverage Seoul’s stadiums, transportation and accommodation infrastructure, as well as its experience hosting international events, to boost competitiveness in the international bidding process.

However, it has been reported that Seoul is demanding that major events, such as the opening and closing ceremonies, take place in Seoul. North Jeolla Province is currently in internal discussion regarding these conditions from the Seoul side. As a result, Seoul has emerged as a new factor in the original ‘solo hosting by North Jeolla Province’ strategy, even stalling the Ministry’s review.

A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said that the review of the bid proposal was put on hold because North Jeolla Province expressed its intent to consider a joint bid. The official also noted that, if the overall bid plan undergoes major changes, in principle, the process of selecting the domestic candidate city by the Korean Olympic Committee may need to be repeated from the beginning.

This is connected to last year’s process, in which North Jeolla Province was chosen over Seoul as the domestic candidate city.

In the 2036 Olympic domestic candidate city vote held in February last year, North Jeolla Province received 49 out of 61 votes, surpassing Seoul, which received 11, to become the final domestic candidate. However, just over a year after its selection, North Jeolla Province proposed a joint bid to Seoul, effectively signaling a readjustment of its strategy since being named a candidate city.

Regarding this, Representative Jeong Yeonwook of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (People Power Party) raised the possibility that if Seoul refuses North Jeolla Province’s proposal, the province could either request another review by the Ministry or give up its bid entirely.

Representative Jeong also claimed during last year’s government audit that North Jeolla's Olympic bid was fundamentally flawed, and accused the province of stalling without revising its plans.

In response to Representative Jeong’s statement, Bid Committee head Kim Jongpil expounded that “the joint hosting proposal with Seoul is a strategy to increase even by 1% the chance of South Korea winning the Olympic bid,” adding that “if joint hosting does not materialize, we will proceed with solo hosting.”

In other words, according to the North Jeolla provincial government, joint hosting is not a withdrawal of its prior solo bid, but rather a 'Plan B' designed to boost international competitiveness in the bidding process.

The problem is that, as this shift in strategy has been communicated externally, it has led to interpretations of “giving up on solo hosting,” making North Jeolla's entire bid strategy appear uncertain. Even after preparing cooperation agreements and bid documents necessary for a solo bid, the province’s decision to resume talks on joint hosting with Seoul has ultimately resulted in the deferral of the Ministry's review.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) plans to narrow its list of candidate cities for the 2036 Summer Olympics to the first round by March next year. Through further targeted dialogue with bidding cities, the final host will be selected in mid-2029.

With overseas cities such as Doha, Qatar and Ahmedabad, India also entering the race, North Jeolla Province now faces additional pressure as its candidacy review has been put on hold without even clarifying whether it is pursuing a solo or joint bid.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.