Seoul to promote joint Olympics with North Korea

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The city of Seoul is moving forward with plans for a potential 2032 Summer Olympics with North Korea amid controversy over the slaying of a South Korean citizen in North Korean territory.

City officials said Tuesday the "2032 Seoul-Pyongyang Olympics Promotion Video and Promotional Design Planning" initiative is proceeding through the Public Procurement Service, a government agency under the finance ministry responsible for the acquisition of resources and services required for major projects.

The public notice obtained by South Korean news service NK Economy shows the Seoul metropolitan government seeks to launch a promotional campaign that will "win the support of the South Korean public for a joint Olympics" with Pyongyang. North Korea has yet to respond to the co-hosting proposal.

Seoul city hall also called for the hiring of a "celebrated sports star with a high level of recognition" or public visibility both in and out of South Korea to create high impact among viewers of the media. The publicity should also "create an image of Seoul as an 'international city of sports'," the city hall bulletin read.

Promotional media will include 20-, 30- and 90-second videos for use on local television networks. The media will also be uploaded to YouTube and other globally accessible sites.

South Korea's bid for a "peace" Olympics with an unresponsive North Korea comes a few days ahead of Pyongyang's 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Workers' Party. North Korea is expected to display a new intercontinental ballistic missile and submarine-launched ballistic missile during a military parade, Yonhap reported.

On Tuesday, Workers' Party paper Rodong Sinmun reported sanctions against Iran have enabled the Iranians to develop a new naval ballistic missile with a range of 430 miles.

The "Zolfaghar Basir" indicates Iran's Revolutionary Guards were able to "turn sanctions into an opportunity to advance the defense industry," the Rodong said.