Opposition leader to visit Japan to promote S. Korea's Winter Olympics bid

SEOUL, June 21 (Yonhap) -- The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will visit Japan next week to promote South Korea's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in the alpine city of PyeongChang, the party spokesman said Tuesday.
Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu plans to leave for Japan next Monday on a three-day trip to meet Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and other politicians to ask for their support for PyeongChang, which is trying to bring South Korea its first-ever Winter Games, DP spokesman Lee Yong-sup said.
Asia has only hosted the Winter Olympics twice, both times in Japan, in 1972 and 1998.
Sohn will also visit Japan's tsunami-razed northeastern region of Sendai to express his sympathy over the damage from the March earthquake and a radiation leak from crippled nuclear reactors.
The host city for the Olympics is scheduled to be chosen at the International Olympic Committee's General Assembly in Durban, South Africa, on July 6.


ejkim@yna.co.kr