Korean Air announced as sponsor for Pyeongchang Olympics

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korea's largest airline, Korean Air, became a corporate sponsor of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Wednesday.

Games organizers have been struggling to find companies to join its domestic sponsorship program, a critical source of revenue for the games.

Korean Air, whose chairman Cho Yang-ho took over as head of Pyeongchang's organizing committee last year, is just the fifth company to sign on.

Last month, South Korean President Park Geun-hye made an urgent appeal to local business leaders to sponsor the games.

Korean Air will provide air transport for South Korean athletes, Olympic staff members, and cargo services related to the games, Pyeongchang spokeswoman Lee Jihye said.

The signing ceremony with Korean Air was held at a resort in Gangneung, where an International Olympic Committee delegation led by Gunilla Lindberg, who heads the IOC coordination commission for Pyeongchang, is on an inspection trip. Gangneung, east of Pyeongchang, will host some Olympic competitions in 2018, including ice hockey, speedskating and figure skating.