President Park Geun-hye inspected preparations for an international multisport competition for university athletes to be held in South Korea's southwest region later this year, an official said Wednesday.

The move is part of South Korea's efforts to ensure that it can successfully host the Summer Universiade from July 3-14 in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul.

Park instructed officials to "come up with thorough safety measures" for the biennial games after being briefed on preparations at a convention center in Gwangju.

South Korea said the international sports event, which will bring together about 20,000 athletes, officials and press from 170 countries, could help raise South Korea's international standing.

Gwangju is the third South Korean host of the Universiade. Muju and Jeonju, located the country's southern region, co-hosted the winter edition in 1997, and the country's southeastern city of Daegu held the summer event in 2003.

North Korea plans to take part in the biennial games with a 108-member delegation.

South Korea has ruled out forming a unified team with North Korea for the Summer Universiade amid lingering tensions on the divided Korean Peninsula.

Also on Wednesday, Park hailed the launch of a high-speed rail network in the country's southwestern region, a move that would greatly reduce travel times.

A new bullet train with a top speed of 300 km per hour will cut the three-hour travel time between Seoul and Gwangju in half.

Park said the new high-speed rail network could foster balanced development in the country. So far, South Korea's southwestern region has lagged behind its southeastern counterpart in terms of development.

She also said the Summer Universiade could help promote South Korea's high-speed rail system to foreign visitors. (Yonhap)