SKorean president offers assurances on 2018 Games

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korea's president has assured the IOC that the government will make the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang a success.

President Park Geun-hye met Thursday in Seoul with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.

The IOC says in a statement the two ''agreed on even closer cooperation between the Federal Government, the IOC and the Games Organizing Committee.''

It says Park gave Bach ''her personal and her government's assurances to make PyeongChang 2018 a success.''

The meeting comes two months after South Korean businessman Cho Yang-ho was brought in to take over the organizing committee. He replaced Kim Jin-sun, who resigned suddenly.

Bach says the Olympics ''are a unique opportunity for the Republic of Korea to showcase itself to the world'' and ''help to further the international relations of all Koreans.''

Bach will attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Incheon on Friday.