Seoul, which hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics, will be one of the cities taking part in an unprecedented world tour of the Olympic torch for the Athens games next summer.

The Athens Olympic Organizing Committee said Thursday that the Olympic flame will make its journey from its ancient birthplace of Olympia throughout 33 cities on five continents before returning to Athens next August.

The torch will come to Seoul on June 7th on a chartered plane from Tokyo and travel about 40 kilometers to the site of a commemorative ceremony before heading to Beijing, which is set to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The Olympic torch relay for the Athens games, which will cross Africa and South America for the first time, is the largest in the event