Jeong Yeon-uk (Rep.) "Received a report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that the review for Jeonju's bid to host the Olympics is effectively on hold... A predictable outcome"

*This content was translated by AI.

It was revealed that the review for the 'Jeonju Summer Olympics' bid, which Jeonbuk Province had been pushing forward, has effectively entered a state of suspension. A claim emerged that the government's bid plan is now back to square one after Jeonbuk Province, which had been struggling with infrastructure shortages, suddenly shifted course toward co-hosting with Seoul.

People Power Party Jeong Yeon-uk (Rep.), a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, announced on the 17th that they received a report from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stating that the review for Jeonju's bid to host the Summer Olympics has been effectively suspended. The ministry explained that this move came because Jeonbuk Province abandoned its original plan for a solo hosting and began pursuing co-hosting with Seoul, thereby undermining the very premise of the existing project plan.

Jeong (Rep.) strongly criticized the situation, calling it "a predictable outcome." Jeong (Rep.) had previously reprimanded Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young and People Power Party Vice Chairman Yoo Seung-min during the 2025 National Assembly's state audit for failing to meet the International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards for the Jeonju Olympics bid. Although Jeonbuk Province received a request from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in May to improve its plan, it dragged on for over half a year without presenting fundamental improvement measures, ultimately bringing about the 'suspension' ruling itself.

According to Jeong (Rep.)'s office, particularly after facing severe shortages in essential infrastructure such as stadiums, accommodations, and athlete villages, Jeonbuk Province visited Seoul on September 14 to explore co-hosting options. During this process, it was reported that the Jeonbuk side even proposed maintaining the name 'Jeonju Olympics' despite Seoul taking on most of the major events and functions of the Games. This amounted to a willingness to give up hosting leadership in exchange for keeping the brand name, revealing Jeonbuk's own limitations in hosting capabilities. In response, Seoul stated only its principled position of 'consideration' and did not agree to formal acceptance or cost-sharing.

As a result, the Olympic bid process faced the risk of returning to square one. If Jeonbuk finalizes co-hosting with Seoul, the event name would change to 'Jeonju·Seoul' or 'Seoul·Jeonju' Olympics, and the Korea Sports Council's city approval procedure for bids would have to be started from scratch. In this process, there is also a possibility that other local governments could enter the new bid competition.

Contradictions in project cost estimates also came under scrutiny. According to Jeonbuk Province's government review proposal, the number of stadiums increased from 37 at the time of candidate site selection in 2025 to 51, and distributed stadiums in other regions were significantly expanded from six to 19. Meanwhile, the total project cost was reduced by more than 2 trillion won, from an initial 9.1781 trillion won to 6.9992 trillion won. This is an unrealistic reduction that falls far short of the actual appropriate costs estimated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Council (10–11 trillion won).

The review schedule is also tight. The statutory deadline for the government's review by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is October 4. If this deadline is missed, not only will the scheduled online presentation to the IOC at the end of this year be jeopardized, but entry into the March 2027 'strategic dialogue' with the IOC, which requires submission of essential documents such as government financial guarantee letters, itself becomes uncertain.

Jeong Yeon-uk (Rep.) pointed out, "Jeonbuk previously embarrassed itself internationally by confidently claiming there were no preparation issues during the 2023 Saemangeum World Scout Jamboree," and added, "It is absurd to seek government financial guarantees with a nonsensical plan that increases stadiums while cutting budgets." The office further stated that it would request data on negotiations with Seoul from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Council, and continue intensive inspections at the National Assembly level, including through state audits.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.