( CNN ) -- `` The International Olympic Committee has the honor of announcing that the 23rd Winter Olympic Games in 2018 are awarded to the city of Pyeongchang . '' The date was July 6 , 2011 . The speaker was International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) President Jacques Rogge . It might have been third time lucky for the South Korean city , having lost narrowly to Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014 , but the name of Pyeongchang probably had many of us reaching for an atlas . Important point : it should not be confused with Pyongyang , the North Korean capital . 'Korea 's Alps ' Located approximately 113 miles ( 182 kilometers ) southeast of Seoul , in the spectacular southern part of Gangwon Province , Pyeongchang sits at 700 meters above sea level in one of the most rugged , mountainous regions of the country , an area often referred to as `` Korea 's Alps . '' It seems like a reasonable choice . South Korea also has previous Olympic form -- though admittedly of the summer variety ( Seoul 1988 ) . It 's also arguably a less puzzling choice than Sochi , a crumbling Soviet-era beach resort on the Black Sea coast -- ironically one of the few places in Russia where snow is actually scarce . The looming Caucasus Mountains nearby were not exactly known for snow sports either , so virtually everything -- from competition venues to road and rail links -- had to be built from scratch . 15 top Sochi moments . Yet the Sochi games went reasonably well -- from a sporting perspective at least . The action was at times exhilarating , visitors overcame hotel horror stories , and the security threat from extremists never materialized . Yet critics will point to the $ 50 billion price tag -- the largest ever for a summer or winter Olympic Games -- and protests against Russia 's human rights record and its stance on gay rights . The sight of the Pussy Riot punk group being attacked with whips and teargas by Cossack militia making headlines across the world would have made President Vladimir Putin wince . 'Flat-pack ' games . The 24th Winter Olympic Games promises to be much less controversial . It also wo n't have Sochi 's `` flat-pack '' construction feel as Pyeongchang already boasts established infrastructure , with six major ski resorts , including Alpensia , Pheonix Park and High1 , making it one of the country 's top skiing and snowboarding destinations . Pyeongchang was also the site of South Korea 's first official ski resort in 1975 . Russia 's Sochi gold rush - paradise lost , or found ? Seven of the 13 competition venues required by the IOC , including those for cross-country skiing , ski jumping and biathlon , are already in place , while snow is less likely to be concern as the region typically experiences heavy winter snowfall -- something that organizers in Sochi and Vancouver could not be as confident about . Unseasonably mild temperatures bedeviled the Canadian host city in 2010 , disrupting many of the ski events . Fearing similar problems , organizers at Sochi stockpiled huge amounts of snow from the previous season . Olympic legacy . Yet the South Korean government wo n't be sitting on their hands either , as it seeks to turn this area into a world-class winter sports destination well beyond 2018 . It currently takes more than three hours by road from Seoul to reach Pyeongchang -- a journey that will shorten to just 50 minutes when a new high-speed rail network opens in 2017 . Last month , the South Korean government unveiled a comprehensive plan to develop the city and the surrounding areas in Gangwon Province . Designating the region of some 27.4 square kilometers as a special district , the government announced plans to invest 3.3 trillion won ( US $ 3.1 billion ) by 2032 to turn it into `` a mecca of winter sports and a major tourist destination , '' according to the prime minister 's office . Most of this investment will be made by 2018 to host a successful Winter Games , it added . Stressing the importance of preventing any waste of resources after hosting international events , Prime Minister Chung Hong-won told the Yonhap news agency : `` ( The plan ) should be aimed at a continued regional development after a successful hosting of the Pyeongchang Olympics . '' Pyeonchang 's 2018 destiny was never really in doubt , as it won the right to become the first Asian city outside Japan to host the Winter Olympics . It comfortably beat off the challenge of two other bid cities : Munich in Germany , and Annecy in France . Had it won , Munich would have been the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics . The city attracted the Summer Games in 1972 . Annecy , meanwhile , met with many difficulties in its bid for the 2018 nomination , including a small budget and change in leadership on the bid committee .
Third time lucky for Pyeongchang , which lost out to Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014 . Located southeast of Seoul in an area known as ` ` Korea 's Capital '' Many of the required venues already in place as Seoul is an established destination . Government plans to invest heavily in region , including high - speed rail link with capital .