North Jeolla Province Governor Kim Kwan-young, center, celebrates after the province was chosen as the Korean candidate in the bidding for the 2036 Summer Olympics in a vote held at Olympic Parktel in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

North Jeolla Province stunned Seoul Friday to become the Korean candidate in the bidding race for the 2036 Summer Olympics.

The province, located in the southwestern part of the country, defeated the capital city 49-11 in a vote by representatives from the national governing bodies of Summer and Winter Olympic sports. There was one invalid vote.

"We've done it. We've created a miracle," North Jeolla Gov. Kim Kwan-young said in a statement. "Support from our residents gave us the power. I'd like to thank fellow cities who have joined us in our dreams. The real race starts now, and we will embark on a journey toward winning the final bid. If we all stick together as we move forward, we will succeed."

Speaking with reporters after the victory, Kim said the province's "desperation" helped stage the upset.

"Our strategy was to pursue the most cost-efficient and eco-friendly Olympics and to create harmony through alliance between cities outside Seoul. It worked really well," Kim said. "We met with each and every voter and tried to persuade them. I think it really opened their minds."

Kim said he will also try to take ideas from Seoul's bid and work closely with the city when necessary.

North Jeolla and Seoul each gave a 45-minute presentation before the evaluation committee of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. Then, the voters — officials from national sports federations — cast their ballots. North Jeolla Gov. Kim and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon each made an appearance in their respective presentations.

With Seoul having hosted the 1988 Summer Games, Korea will try to become the seventh country — joining the United States, France, Britain, Australia, Japan and Greece — to stage multiple Summer Olympics. The country held the Winter Olympics in 2018 in the eastern province of Gangwon, with PyeongChang holding snow and sliding events and Gangwon hosting ice events.

For the 2036 Summer Olympics, Indonesia, Turkey, India and Chile are also in the running, with potential bids from countries such as Egypt, South Africa, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Hungary, Italy, Denmark and Canada.

North Jeolla Province intends to share events with its neighbors, including the metropolitan cities of Daegu (athletics) and Gwangju (archery and swimming), and the North Chungcheong provincial town of Hongseong (tennis).

North Jeolla claimed its model would align with the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s push for cost efficiency and would also ensure more balanced regional development in Korea.

Seoul built its bid on its superior infrastructure, its ability to use existing sports facilities, its experience in hosting the Olympics and other sporting events, and its proximity to Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway.

Seoul also claimed that more than 85 percent of its residents supported the city's bid in a survey taken last summer.

However, North Jeolla, largely considered the underdog in this battle, pulled off an upset after selling the voters on the importance of developing non-Seoul regions.

"Today, 88.5 percent of all sporting events in Korea are taking place outside the metropolitan Seoul area," North Jeolla Gov. Kim said during his presentation. "Australia has had three Summer Games in three different cities, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. That was done to ensure balanced growth of that country."

KSOC President Ryu Seung-min said North Jeolla came up with "refreshing" ideas and put together a quality presentation.

"We will offer our full support to help North Jeolla win the bid and build plans for further cooperation," Ryu added.

Kim also said he will be open to ideas from the KSOC and said, "We will bring the 2036 Olympic Games to Korea."

North Jeolla is less than two years removed from its humiliating mismanagement of the World Scout Jamboree held in Saemangeum, a reclaimed wetland in the province. The event's organizers were blasted for not providing enough relief for participants amid scorching midsummer heat and poor living conditions at the campsite. Scouts from some countries returned home early.

North Jeolla must have its Olympic bid approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and also by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Once that's taken care of, the KSOC will submit the province's official bid to the IOC.

The IOC has tweaked its Olympic host city selection process and has done away with a direct election by its members with multiple candidates competing.

Instead, the IOC's Future Host Commission screens potential host cities and makes a recommendation to the IOC Executive Board, which then decides whether to open a "targeted dialogue" with one or more "preferred hosts."

During the targeted dialogue phase, each preferred host must fill out the IOC's Future Host Questionnaire and provide guarantees that back up its bid submission.

The Executive Board will decide whether to put one or more preferred hosts up for a vote by IOC members.

Seoul pursued a joint bid with Pyongyang for the 2032 Summer Olympics, but the IOC chose Brisbane as its partner for the targeted dialogue in February 2021. Brisbane then garnered support from 72 out of 80 IOC delegates in a yes-or-no vote to win the bid five months later. (Yonhap)