Which South Korean city was chosen as the site for the 2036 Summer Olympics, beating out Seoul?

On the 28th of last month, the Korean Olympic Committee selected Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla Province) in the southwest as the country's candidate site for the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
The aim is for South Korea to host the Summer Olympics for the first time in 48 years since the Olympics. The domestic candidate cities were decided by a vote at the general meeting of the Olympic Committee held in Seoul on this day.
Seoul City also put its name forward, but lost out. Last December, Mayor Oh Sehun announced through his social media that he was fully committed to working to make the city a candidate to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988. Aiming for a second time, Oh posted on social media at the time, "The 1988 Seoul Olympics was a historic event that showed the strength and potential of Korea.
"If this was a historic moment, the 2036 Seoul Olympics will be another historic milestone, showcasing soft power and a vision for the future," he said.
A survey was conducted to calculate the costs and benefits of holding the event, and the cost-performance ratio was found to be 1.03. A ratio greater than 1 is considered to be economically viable.
He also visited the Paris Olympics held last summer, and afterwards posted on his social media that he compared the Seine River that flows through Paris to the Hangang River that flows through Seoul, saying, "The Seine is much cleaner and more beautiful than the Seine.
The Han River, which is a beautiful river, will attract attention from around the world if the Olympics are held there. Meanwhile, North Jeolla Province has advocated "balanced national development" and has created a hosting plan that puts "solidarity with local cities" at the forefront.
The plan was put forward to distribute the venues for each event to neighboring cities. This is in line with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) goal of reducing costs through cooperation between neighboring cities, and is aimed at concentrating the venues in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
He promoted the idea that a new model for balanced development could be presented by dispersing infrastructure and economic power.
A vote was held to select the candidate site. North Jeolla Province and Seoul City appealed for support through presentations at the general meeting. North Jeolla Province Governor Kim Gwang-yeon and Seoul City Mayor Oh personally made presentations.
As a result of the vote, Jeollabuk-do received 49 votes and Seoul City 11 votes, and Jeollabuk-do was selected as the national candidate by a large margin over Seoul City. In response, Seoul City released a statement.
"If North Jeolla Province is able to host the Summer Olympics for the second time in Korean history, this will be an opportunity to further enhance Korea's national prestige.
"Hosting the Olympics in a regional area rather than in the capital will be an important opportunity for the balanced development of the country," he said.
The Korean newspaper Hankyoreh also reported that "North Jeolla Province will defeat Seoul and become the first city to be elected by the 2036
"With Korea being selected as a domestic candidate city to host the Summer Olympics, interest is also being drawn from potential rival countries," the report said. Besides Korea, other countries that are vying for the 2036 Olympics include India, Indonesia and Turkey.
India, in particular, is aiming to host the 2036 Olympics, with Prime Minister Modi presenting his intention to do so in person to IOC members at the IOC General Assembly held in Mumbai, India, in October 2023.
In November of the same year, the Indian Olympic Committee (IOA) formally announced its bid to host the 2036 Olympics. The host city was the home of Prime Minister Modi's former member.
Ahmedabad, the largest city in the western state of Gujarat, is seen as a strong contender. If it is held, it will be the first time India has hosted both the summer and winter Olympics.
India, which will be in charge of hosting the Olympics, hopes to use the opportunity to increase its national power and further its presence. It is likely to become the biggest rival for South Korea, which is aiming to host the 2036 Olympics.
Gyeore pointed out, "The future actions of Middle Eastern countries that have put 'O Yiruma Nee' at the forefront are also of interest." In the Middle East, Doha in Qatar and Saudi Arabia have put themselves forward as candidates to host the Olympics.
The paper pointed out that "because of the harsh conditions that the Games will leave behind a huge deficit, the IOC and international sports organizations tend to prefer hosting the games in the Middle East."
The host city for the 2036 Summer Olympics will be decided by 2027. Can North Jeolla Province beat out powerful rival cities around the world to win the bid?