Jeonbuk said it is weighing a switch to a joint bid with Seoul for the 2036 Summer Games. The culture ministry held over its review at this session and asked for firmer financing plans and a clearer account of how venues would be used.

The domestic contest had run as a two-way race. Jeonbuk pressed balanced national development and links to existing projects such as Saemangeum, while Seoul emphasized existing stadium infrastructure and experience running international events.

A joint bid is an attempt to split the difference, with talk of dividing the opening ceremony and major sports and operating athlete villages and media centers at two sites. The test is whether it can meet International Olympic Committee standards on travel times and unified operations.

Cost and legacy

The central issue in recent bidding is cost rather than scale. The IOC has shifted its criteria toward existing venues and temporary structures, so plans that minimize new construction score better. Combining two regions' facilities to reduce new building is the argument for co-hosting.

There is a counterargument. Two host regions can raise transport, security and accommodation costs and blur accountability. The ministry's deferral reads as a request to see more of that operational detail.

Timeline and next steps

Host selection for 2036 proceeds through the IOC's continuous dialogue process. Domestically, a bid must clear the culture ministry's review and a feasibility study by the finance ministry before it can be filed. Both regions recognize that settling on a single domestic candidate comes first.

Whatever the outcome, this paper notes that the co-hosting debate tracks a global move toward reusing venues. Plans for what happens to facilities after the Games outlast the arguments made to win them.