South Korea's Soyun Ji, center, is congratulated by teammates after scoring their 5th goal against Argentina during their Cup of Nations soccer game in Sydney, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Republished March 04, 2019 - 4:03 PM
Original Publication Date March 04, 2019 - 9:06 AM
South Korea's football leadership says it has sent a proposal to North Korea to jointly bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup and it is waiting for a response.
Bidding for the FIFA showpiece could be a significant move toward building peace on the Korean Peninsula, which remains technically at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino is encouraging a bid ahead of the March 2020 vote by the governing body's ruling council. Mong Gyu Chung, the president of South Korea's soccer association, sits on the FIFA council.
Revealing the submission to North Korea, Chung said in a statement to The Associated Press that "with regard to the possible joint bid with DPRK Football Association for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, we have sent our proposal to DPRK FA and are currently waiting to receive their official response."
Australia, Colombia, Japan and South Africa are also exploring bids.
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