U.S. ambassador congratulates PyeongChang's successful Olympic bid

SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kathleen Stephens congratulated PyeongChang on its successful bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, calling the International Olympic Committee's vote the "best choice." The South Korean alpine city won the hosting rights overwhelmingly via a secret vote of IOC delegates, which took place in Durban, South Africa on Wednesday, succeeding in its third consecutive attempt to bring the Winter Games to South Korea for the first time. "PyeongChang was simply the best choice," said Stephens in an article she posted on her embassy's blog, adding, "Determination and effort have been rewarded." "It took until the third try, but it's clear the International Olympic Committee had come to know Korea and Koreans, and they recognized that PyeongChang is ready to host a great Winter Olympics," she said. Stephens, who is preparing to step down as ambassador to Seoul after three years of working here, said she hopes to return to South Korea to watch the 2018 Games in PyeongChang. U.S. President Barack Obama nominated last month Sung Kim, a veteran diplomat, as the next ambassador to South Korea, the first Korean-American to become Washington's envoy to Seoul.