Seoul at last won the bid to host the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in the vote at the IOC general assembly held in the German city of Baden-Baden, making Korea only the second Asian country to host the Olympic Games. Many were skeptical of Korea's ability to pull off such a huge global event, but the country pulled all its resources together to host one of the most successful games in Olympic history. It was also a historically important event, since the Soviet Union and the United States both participated in the Games, after they had boycotted the previous Games hosted by respective countries. The Seoul Olympic Games were held in a divided country, but ended up demonstrating to the world the Korean people’s resilience and drive that performed the Miracle on the Han River, as well as their determination to bring peace to the world. The 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul inspired pride and confidence in all Koreans.