S. Korea launches bid to host 2022 World Cup

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea launched a bidding committee Wednesday to host the 2022 World Cup, joining the competition to stage the international sports event for a second time.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) named former foreign minister and ambassador
to Washington, Han Sung-joo, as head of the committee.
"It is most important to persuade the 24-member executive committee of the
International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)," Han said at a news
conference.
South Korea's tycoon-turned-legislator Chung Mong-joon currently serves as vice
president and an executive committee member of FIFA.
"With Chung a member of the executive committee, we have a chance if we prepare
strategically," Han said.
The winning bid requires 13 votes from the governing body, with a decision due in
December 2010.
South Korea and Japan, fierce rivals in the bidding for the 2002 World Cup
finals, went on to co-host the event for that year.
As FIFA selects the hosts for 2018 and 2022 tournaments simultaneously, Han said
selections would be fairly distributed among countries from different continents.
"I think the 2018 games will be held in Europe, and South Korea will compete
against non-European countries, such as the U.S., Australia and Japan for the
2022 games," he said.
Upon winning the bid, he said the committee will consider sharing some of the
games with North Korea, which is technically at war with the South since the
Korean War (1950-1953) ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
"In fact, hosting a World Cup game will provide a good opportunity for South and
North Korea to cooperate with each other," Han said. "It could contribute to
peace on the Korean Peninsula."
The other bidders for the 2018 and 2022 games are the U.S., England, Russia,
Australia, Indonesia and Mexico. Spain teamed up with Portugal, and the
Netherlands with Belgium to propose jointly hosting the event.
South Korea and Qatar have applied only for the 2022 games.