South Korea has implemented a project to build a multi-sports hall in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu as part of efforts to improve the sports infrastructure in the Himalayan kingdom and enhance friendship between the two countries, government officials said Tuesday.

Officials from the state-run Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the Bhutan Olympic Committee held a groundbreaking ceremony at Jungshina, Thimphu, on May 27 to mark the construction of the hall.

Among participants to the ceremony were Lee Elisa, a former lawmaker of South Korea's ruling party, and Bhutanese Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, also head of the BOC.

The ceremony came after the South Korean foundation signed a deal with the BOC on May 9 under which it promised to inject a fund of 720 million won ($620,000) into the project and provide the Bhutanese organization with the expertise to run the sports facility.

Construction of the sports hall is scheduled for completion at the end of next year. The BOC is responsible for the construction and management of the facility that includes a soccer pitch. (Yonhap)