The Choir Olympics will be held in Pusan from Oct. 19 to Oct. 27 in 2002.

City officials said they have been notified of the decision through a letter sent by the chairman of the event's organizing committee.

Officials said... an organizing committee official will visit Pusan from Feb. 5 to Feb. 8, to discuss the the schedule and survey the concert halls.

They estimate that about 25,000 choral singers will take part in the contests, and expect a total of 50,000 tourists to visit Pusan to hear the competitions.

The Pusan Choir Olympics 2002 is the second of its kind, after the Choir Olympics 2000 held in July 2000 in the Austrian city of Linz, with more than 500 choirs from 80 countries participating in 28 categories.