The mayor of Busan, host of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, said on Monday Busan will officially announce its bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games this week.

He made the remarks in an interview with South Korea's news agency Yonhap.

"Busan's successful hosting of the APEC summit will contribute to maximizing our efforts to bid for the Olympic Games," Mayor Hur Nam-sik said.

The mayor said he will make Busan's Olympic bid officially in a news conference during the APEC forum.

The 56-year-old mayor of South Korea's second largest city also expressed hope that the APEC forum will help boost Busan's image, thus helping its bid to host two major International Olympic Committee (IOC) meetings in 2009.

Busan, with a population of about 4 million, hosted the 2002 Asian Games and is to host the heads of 21 Asia-Pacific Rim economies for the APEC Summit on Friday and Saturday. It is the world's fifth largest port in terms of capacity to handle container cargos.

The APEC forum, which started last Saturday, will last until Nov. 19.

Source: Xinhua