The nation’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has formed a special coordination team to support the PyeongChang 2014 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee in intensive storm recovery efforts.

At a meeting held on August 2, ministry officials budgeted 50 billion won (US$52 million) to speed PyeongChang’s recovery from July’s storm damage, and the central government has committed an extra 15.3 billion Won (US$16 million) to Gangwon Province from its 2007 budget to expand infrastructure at winter sports venues and improve the regional transportation network.

The ministry’s funding will be focused toward restoration of facilities that were affected by the storms, at the Gangwon mountain resorts of Yongpyong, Sungwoo and Bokwang Phoenix Park.

Looking ahead, the Culture and Tourism Ministry has applied for additional funding from the central government treasury, which officials said would be directed at improving roads and highways in and around PyeongChang. 

Mr. Hyun Jae Cho, the director general of the ministry’s Sports Bureau said: “We will develop a detailed plan to improve the situation in Gangwon Province following a government inspection on August 11. We anticipate everything being improved and ready before the IOC evaluation team visits in February 2007.”

Meanwhile, a Winter Olympic bid support team at Korea’s National Assembly has scheduled a meeting in Seoul for August 7 and 8, to agree on specific follow-up measures related to their earlier site inspection.

With concrete and enthusiastic support now coming from the national Parliament, the Culture and Tourism Ministry, and a global volunteer network of winter sports lovers known as Dongsamo, PyeongChang 2014 bid officials are striding confidently forward.