North, South Korea join forces for 2014 bid

BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) North and South Korea are joining forces to secure the 2014 Winter Olympics after both sides reached an unprecedented joint agreement to back the bid of South Korean city Pyeongchang, officials said today.

As part of the historic deal a unified North and South Korean team will take part in 2014, but this should be in place by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, officials told International Olympic (IOC) President Jacques Rogge in a meeting yesterday.

''We will be submitting as part of our final written presentation in January that both governments have agreed to back the bid,'' bid chairman and former President of the United Nations General Assembly Han Seung-soo told Reuters.

''It was agreed that we will field a unified team for 2014. But if we can overcome some technical problems, there is a very high possibility that this will happen for 2008 in Beijing.'' North and South Korea are technically still at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended without a peace treaty.

In 1964, an attempt was made to form a joint team but political and military tensions ended any hopes of such a deal.

Pyeongchang is one of three cities battling it out for the right to host the 2014 Games. The other contenders are Salzburg, Austria and the Russian city of Sochi.

REUTERS DH VV1746