South Korea is currently hosting a meeting of national Olympic committees.

PYEONGCHANG OR PYONGYANG?

South Korea has successfully marketed itself in Asia as an affordable winter sports destination, attracting Singaporeans, Malaysians and others from hotter climates who have probably never seen snow before, let alone tried skiing.

But outside the region it barely registers as a winter sports destination, something that probably hurt the 2010 bid.

"At the time when we were applying for 2010, Pyeongchang was a very unknown place, many IOC members confused Pyeongchang with Pyongyang," said Han, referring to the North Korean capital.

Han said he hoped athletes from the two Koreas, who marched together at the opening ceremony of the Turin Games, would have a joint team in 2014.

"So having an Olympics hosted by Pyeongchang in a divided province in a divided country we'll be able to promote peace in the Korean peninsula," said Han.

At the end of the Korean War, Kangwon was divided by the heavily militarised border bisecting the peninsula.

Han singled out Salzburg, Austria, also a competitor in 2010, Russia's Sochi and the Spanish city of Jaca as perhaps the strongest challengers for 2014. The Bulgarian capital Sofia, Georgia's Borjomi and Kazakhstan's Almaty are also in the race.

South Korea, which hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988 and the soccer World Cup finals in 2002, is keen to use 2014 to showcase its IT prowess and to develop Kangwon, which depends on tourism for about a third of its economy.

The bid includes plans for a $3 billion government-funded, high-speed rail link to the ski area and a new expressway.

Construction on a downhill ski course is due to start from scratch in July next year, while two new world-class ice rinks are also being built, as well as a new resort to host events such as ski jumping and cross-country.