Defense minister pledges to make 2015 Military World Games a success

SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin said Monday that South Korea will make major efforts to successfully host a global multi-sport event for military athletes in 2015, praising the event's role as a global promoter of peace.
The International Military Sports Council (CISM), the Brussels-based organizer for the event, is set to make an official announcement this week that the South Korean city of Mungyeong has been selected as the host city for the 2015 Military World Games.
"We will make the 2015 Military World Games in Mungyeong a success by all means available," Kim told CISM delegates at the council's General Assembly meeting in Seoul.
Kim said staging the biggest sporting event among military athletes in South Korea, which is technically at war with North Korea, would become a "turning point" toward global peace.



Since 1995, the military games have been held every four years to encourage military sports and boost friendly relations among the world's armed forces.
Mungyeong, a mountainous city about 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul, made the sole bid to host the 2015 games and the CISM preliminarily announced in March that the city won the rights to host the event.
An official announcement will be made on Thursday during the week-long meeting, officials at Seoul's defense ministry said.
The 2015 Military World Games are expected to bring together about 10,000 military personnel from some 110 countries, ministry officials said.