BERLIN - South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will travel to South Africa next month to support Pyeongchang's bid to host the 2018 winter Olympics, said bid officials on Tuesday.

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The International Olympic Committee will elect the winning city at its meeting in Durban on July 6.

France's Annecy and Germany's Munich are the other two candidates, with Pyeongchang bidding for the third straight time, after narrowly missing out on the 2010 and the 2014 Olympics.

"Pyeongchang's bid... is a national priority and we are delighted that our delegation in Durban will be led by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak who has shown his absolute support throughout the campaign," organisers said in an e-mail to Reuters.

"Pyeongchang 2018 has total political support and representatives from all levels of government will be present in Durban to demonstrate their commitment to the bid."

German President Christian Wulff has already confirmed he will be attending the IOC election.