North and South Korea to bid for 2032 Summer Olympics

Seoul, South Korea - North and South Korea will bid jointly for the 2032 Olympics, they announced on Wednesday, in an ambitious plan built on hopes of deepening a diplomatic thaw catalysed by this year’s Winter Games in the South.

The idea, which would require an unprecedented level of cooperation and mutual trust on the long-divided peninsula, was included in a joint statement issued after a summit between Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae-in.

“The South and North agreed to actively participate jointly in international competitions including the 2020 Summer Olympics and to cooperate in bidding for the South-North joint hosting of the 2032 Summer Olympics,” the statement said.

No other details were given. The North’s decision to participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February triggered a dramatic diplomatic turnaround on the peninsula this year after tensions mounted the previous year.