Under the proposed changes, the Government will have the right to strip cities of events they have been awarded, if it discovers corruption and other irregularities during the bidding process.

It follows the controversy after Gwangju was awarded swimming's flagship event in July despite allegations from the South Korean Government that Kang Un-tae, the city's Mayor, forged the signatures of both former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and former Culture Minister Choe Kwang-sik in the official bid document.

In August a team of investigators seized a wide range of documents from the Mayor's office at City Hall in Gwangju to prove Kang's alleged involvement, although he blames a low-ranking official.

Documents were removed from the office of Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae after he was accused of being involved in the forgery of documents submitted for the city's successful bid to host the 2019 World Aquatics Championships

After the scandal broke, the Government warned it would retract its financial support for Gwangju and seek criminal charges against anyone implicated, although it now looks likely that they will provide the financial guarantees necessary for the city to retain the Championships. 

The new rules are designed to ensure that such a scandal never happens again. 

"We hope to make sure cities go through a transparent and fair process before bidding for international events," the Ministry said in a statement.

"We will require them to report any major developments to their local authorities and to our Ministry in the bidding process."

The Ministry also said cities hoping to stage international competitions must first receive the backing from their local council and conduct feasibility tests that they can afford to stage them.

"This is designed to promote local residents' right-to-know and to help cities consider their financial situations," the Mnistry said.

"International events are putting unnecessary financial burden on the Government, and we want to make sure prospective hosts make a careful, deliberate decision."

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