[PyeongChang 2018] Fever of Olympics' cultural events to continue in Paralympics

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics is over, but the fever of various cultural side events that heated up the Olympics will carry over to the Paralympics.The Gangwon provincial government said Saturday it will continue to run most of its cultural programs presented during the Olympics to offer the best cultural experiences to Korean and foreign visitors during the Paralympics.The cultural side events of the Paralympics will kick off with a show at Saimdang Hall of the Gangneung Arts Center in Gangne

Olympic GamesMarch 3, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Flame for PyeongChang Paralympics lit in 5 S. Korean cities

Lighting ceremonies for the Paralympic flame were held in five local cities on Friday as South Korea began its eight-day torch relay for the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province.   Five Korean cities and counties -- Jeju, Anyang, Nonsan, Gochang and Cheongdo -- each ignited a flame on the day of the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. These five cities were selected because they provide convenient access to tourism facilities and services for people with disabilities, acco

Olympic GamesMarch 3, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Moon vows full support for Paralympics, people with disabilities

President Moon Jae-in promised all-out support for the upcoming PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games on Friday, calling the games a rare chance to improve conditions for all people with disabilities."I believe the PyeongChang Paralympic Games will further increase the people's interest in disabilities and sports for people with disabilities. I hope the prejudice that those with disabilities are people who need help will disappear, and that we will all realize we can all give hope and courage to o

Olympic GamesMarch 2, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Cheong Wa Dae welcomes US announcement of Paralympic delegation

South Korea's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's appointment of his secretary for homeland security to lead a delegation to the PyeongChang Paralympic Games.The White House announced earlier that Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will head the presidential delegation to the March 9 opening ceremony of the Paralympics set to run through March 18 in the same alpine town where the Winter Olympics took place. US Department of of Homeland

Olympic GamesFeb. 28, 2018

Dutch coach for Korean speed skating to leave after contract expires

Bob de Jong, the Netherlands-born coach for South Korean speed skating at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, is set to leave the country later this week, with his contract expiring on Wednesday, the sport's national federation said.The Korea Skating Union added it is also considering an extension of de Jong's deal, depending on the opinions of skaters and other coaches."Bob de Jong is returning to the Netherlands for visa-related matters, but we'll continue to talk," a KSU official said. "The Olym

Olympic GamesFeb. 28, 2018

Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan joins Blue Jays' camp, says no problem with elbow

South Korean right-hander Oh Seung-hwan has joined the Toronto Blue Jays' spring training, rejecting reports that his pitching elbow could be an issue.The 35-year-old signed a one-year deal worth $1.75 million with the Blue Jays on Monday (local time) and arrived at the team's spring training site in Dunedin, Florida, the following day.Oh's deal includes a $2.5 million option and a $250,000 buyout.He nearly had a deal with the Texas Rangers earlier this month but reportedly failed a physical due

BaseballFeb. 28, 2018

Ex-star footballer awaits coaching debut with 2nd division club

Ko Jong-soo, new head coach for the South Korean second division football club Daejeon Citizen, said Tuesday he is ready to transform the club by boosting the confidence of his players.Ko, 39, was one of the top South Korean football stars in the late 1990s. Nicknamed "Enfant Terrible," for his bold and audacious style of play on the pitch, along with his trademark left-footed free kicks, he was voted the MVP of the league in 1998 while playing for Suwon Samsung Bluewings.  Twenty years after hi

SoccerFeb. 27, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Moon gears up for Paralympic Games, urges support for another success

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is apparently gearing up to promote the upcoming Paralympic Games, officials from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae noted Tuesday, two days after the end of what the president has called an incredibly successful Winter Olympic Games.The move comes as the country is set to host the 2018 Paralympic Games from March 9-18 in PyeongChang, the host city of the recently concluded Winter Olympic Games."With yesterday's closing ceremonies, the PyeongChang Winter Oly

Olympic GamesFeb. 27, 2018

Toronto Blue Jays announce signing of S. Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced their signing of free agent pitcher Oh Seung-hwan, making him the first South Korean to play for the franchise.The Jays said on Monday (local time) that the 35-year-old agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, with a club option for 2019 worth $2.5 million that goes into effect if he meets performance incentive thresholds.Earlier in the day, Oh's Seoul-based agency, Sports Intelligence Group, said Oh had signed with the Jays and passed his physical in F

BaseballFeb. 27, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang to host largest Winter Paralympics next month

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games will be the largest Winter Paralympics in history, local organizers said Monday.PyeongChang's organizing committee said 570 athletes from 49 countries had registered for the March 9-18 competition as of Saturday. The 2014 Sochi Paralympics had previously been the biggest, with 547 athletes from 45 countries.According to the organizers, the United States has the greatest number of athletes at 68, followed by Canada at 52 and Japan at 38.Host nation Sou

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

[Newsmaker] With treasured memories, PyeongChang bids adieu

About 200 South Korean athletes, coaches and officials gathered outside the Olympic athletes’ village in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Monday to attend the disbandment ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic team.For the South Korean delegation, it was the final step of a journey that started on Feb. 9 when world-renowned figure skater Kim Yu-na illuminated the tiny rural town of PyeongChang by lighting the Olympic torch atop the Olympic Stadium. The torch served as a beacon of dreams

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] 7 Korean male athletes eligible for military exemption after winning medals

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Seven South Korean athletes who won a medal at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will be eligible for military exemption, officials here said Monday.All South Korean men between 18 and 35 are conscripted into the armed forces for about two years, but athletes who earn an Olympic medal or an Asian Games gold medal are effectively exempted from the mandatory service.The seven athletes are: skeleton slider Yun Sung-bin, bobsledder Seo Young-woo, speed skaters Cha Min-

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

NK athletes, cheerleaders return home as Olympics end

North Korean athletes and cheerleaders returned home Monday after the North sent a record size delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which ended the previous day.Nearly 300 North Koreans, including 22 athletes and 229 cheerleaders, crossed the inter-Korean border to return home at 12:38 p.m. after leaving a checkpoint in Paju, just south of the border, according to pool reports.North Korea sent a 492-strong Olympics delegation, which included athletes, musicians, cheerleaders and taekwo

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Korean delegation for PyeongChang 2018 disbands with appreciation

GANGNEUNG -- The Korean delegation for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games officially disbanded on Monday after finishing seventh in the medal race.The ceremony to mark the end of Korean athletes' Olympic campaign was held at Gangneung Athletes' Village in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Nearly 200 athletes, coaches and officials attended the ceremony honoring their hard work and achievements at the 23rd Winter Olympics at home."We saw athletes and people getting together, feeling the same em

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] How foreign visitors chronicle Winter Olympics journeys online

This year, as many as 80,000 people from abroad boarded flights to South Korea in hopes of being a part of the Olympics buzz. And with the influx of visitors for the 2018 PyeongChang Games, we thought we’d take a look at how they chronicled their Winter Olympics adventures online. Strap in for some trending Twitter hashtag memes, Tinder thirstiness, quirky Gangwon Province hangouts and addictive vlogs: When in doubt, try for a gold medal in irony Olympics visitors and apparent nonvisitors have b

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] S. Korean female hockey players bid teary farewell to NK teammates

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- South Korea women's ice hockey players on Monday bid a teary farewell to their North Korean teammates on the unified Korean team for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a day after they marched in together at the closing ceremony.The historic joint hockey team -- the first unified Korean squad in any sport at any Olympics -- was assembled on Jan. 25, five days after the International Olympic Committee approved an inter-Korean agreement on its formation. The South Korean te

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang hands over Olympic flag to Beijing

The Olympic flag that fluttered over 17 days at the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, South Korea, was handed over to Chinese organizers on Sunday for the next Winter Games in Beijing in 2022.The 23rd Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, came to an official end after a 17-day run in the South Korean alpine town, with the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang. When the Olympic flag is lowered and handed over to the organizers of the next Winter Olympic

Olympic GamesFeb. 25, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang draws curtains with messages of peace, progress, perseverance

After more than two weeks of cutthroat competition and chivalrous camaraderie among the world’s top athletes, the PyeongChang Winter Games on South Korea’s wintry slopes and ice came to a genteel close Sunday evening. A general view of the closing ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Games at PyeongChang Stadium in Gangwon Province, Sunday (Yonhap)The quadrennial event from Feb. 9-25 in PyeongChang and subhost cities Gangneung and Jeongseon in Gangwon Province attracted nearly 3,000 athletes from 9

Olympic GamesFeb. 25, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Top organizer says 'world became one' during PyeongChang Winter Olympics

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics brought the world together "in peace and harmony," the event's top organizer said during the closing ceremony on Sunday."In PyeongChang, the world became one," said Lee Hee-beom, head of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games (POCOG), during the ceremony at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium."Transcending the differences of race, religion, nation and gender, we smiled together, cried together, and shared friendship together.Even though we

Olympic GamesFeb. 25, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] K-pop artists CL, EXO entertain athletes, spectators at closing ceremony

South Korean K-pop artists CL and EXO took the stage at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Sunday, sending compliments to athletes for their hard work and victories.The 23rd Winter Olympic Games ended its 17-day run in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul. At the closing ceremony, hip-hop songstress CL took the stage to present the future vision of the country through K-pop under theme of "Song of Passion." (Yonhap)Following a segment that honored and recognized

Olympic GamesFeb. 25, 2018