Interim Korean Government Presents PyeongChang 2018 Plans

(ATR) The Korean sports ministry will support PyeongChang 2018 construction in the coming year.

The ministry says it will help finish construction for 12 Olympic venues, the Olympic Village, and the media center according to reports from Yonhap. In addition the ministry will invest $25.5 million in the Korean national team hoping to secure a top four place on the medal table.

Plans were delivered to acting President and Prime Minister Kyo Ahn Hwang. Hwang has assumed executive powers in Korea as suspended President Geun Hye Park faces trial for her role in an influence peddling scandal.

Park was impeached by the South Korean parliament last month. Park is charged with colluding with confidant Soon Sil Choi, the daughter of a shamanic figure in Korea, to extort money from South Korean companies, including Samsung. Choi is reported to have helped edit Park’s speeches, received access to classified information, and advised her on her many roles as President.

This is one of the first mentions of concrete PyeongChang 2018 plans by the interim national government. Korean journalist Sujin Chun told Around the Rings that PyeongChang organizers must deal with the fallout of being connected to the influence peddling scandal. As a result the reputation of the Games has taken a hit, even as new leadership has distanced itself from the connections.

Park’s sports and culture minister Yoon Sun Cho has been called in for questioning by investigators for allegedly aiding the creation of a blacklist of Korean cultural icons.

Dai Kih Lim, the head of Samsung’s advertising affiliate, appeared before South Korean investigators today to answer questions regarding his relationship to Soon Sil Choi’s niece Si Ho Chang. Chang allegedly set up a foundation at the behest of Choi to funnel profits from PyeongChang 2018 advertising deals according to reports from Yonhap.

"People here now have mixed emotions about the Games," the Chun said. "Koreans also strongly feel that the country cannot afford to make the Games a failure and then lose face worldwide…there is also a strong sense of responsibility that the Games should not be a failure."

A PyeongChang 2018 spokesperson told ATR that the Winter Olympics in South Korea "transcend national or political issues," when asked if the political turmoil is affecting the Games.

"Our team for PyeongChang 2018 remain focused on Games preparation, building the facilities to a standard the athletes will welcome, organizing a series of test events that will help us fine-tune our preparations, and activating promotional activities as we meet the various milestones leading up to the Games," the spokesperson said. "All these efforts continue as normal."

Requests for comment on the ongoing situation from the Korean Olympic Committee were not returned. An IOC spokesperson said it could not comment on the current relationship it has with Korean government officials until offices reopened in Lausanne on Jan. 9.

Coordination with the national government is seen as important considering the government’s responsibility to provide services such as security for the Games. The degree to which national governments are involved in preparations varies from Games to Games. In Rio the national government was originally responsible for much of the Games delivery, before responsibilities were transferred to the municipality. That switch ultimately shielded the Games from the political turmoil in Brazil, as most partners in the sports ministry were civil servants that could be kept on board in a change of government.

Chun told ATR that PyeongChang 2018 maintains contact with officials in Korea’s Blue House. Given the power Korea’s executive wields, the "support of a stable national government [will be] key," for the Games in the final 14 months of preparations.

"This is why the next President, whoever it will be, should show great interest in the Games," Chun said.

President Park is currently suspended for six months after her impeachment. If a constitutional court finds her guilty, new elections must be held within 60 days.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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