South Korea chose east small city Pyeongchang again as the candidate city to bid for the Winter Olympic Games in 2014, South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported.

"We officially decided on Pyeongchang as the bid city," said a Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) spokesman after a general assembly meeting on Thursday (Dec 30th).

After a long discussion on the city selection process and a presentation by Kim Jin-sun, governor of Gangwon Province, Pyeongchang won 36 of 56 votes by KOC members.

Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, located 182 kilometers east of Seoul, bid for the 2010 Winter Olympiad but lost to Vancouver, Canada.

It has competed domestically against southwestern city of Muju, North Jeolla Province, to be chosen as bidder for the winter sports gala.

Pyeongchang will submit its bid to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July 2005.

"The 2014 Winter Olympics, (if won), will mean the completion of South Korea's Olympic history," Governor Kim said, referring tothe country's hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. "With the people's complete support we will surely host the Winter Olympics."

The IOC will choose the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics at its 2007 general meeting.

Other cities that have declared interest in bidding for the Games include Tromsoe, Norway; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Innsbruck and Salzbrug, both of Austria.

Editor: Wing