[Photo by Namkung Jinwoong = timeid@ajunews.com]
SEOUL -- South and North Korean sports officials agreed to send a formal joint bid for the 2032 Summer Olympics to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as agreed at an inter-Korean summit in September. No date was given.
For the joint hosting of the 2032 Olympics, the two Koreas will send an official letter together to the IOC, according to a joint statement issued at the end of sports talks Friday at an inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. Germany, Australia, India and Indonesia have expressed interest in the 2032 Olympics.
They also agreed to field a joint team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and other international events, starting with the men's world handball championship to be held in Germany in January. IOC President Thomas Bach has supported the creation of joint inter-Korean teams in international sports events.
To promote sports exchanges, the two sides agreed to actively participate in international competitions on either side of the border.
Separately, the South's defense ministry said that the two Koreas started exchanging information through a military hotline on illegal Chinese fishing near the Yellow Sea border. The exchange of information on illegal activities by Chinese fishermen began in 2005, but North Korea suspended it in May 2008.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
