[PyeongChang 2018] Father of top US snowboarder says watching his daughter's debut was nerve-wracking

PYEONGCHANG -- Even though his daughter is considered the top freestyle snowboarder in the world, Kim Jong-jin, father of US athlete Chloe Kim, said Monday that watching his daughter's performance at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was nerve-wracking.Kim Jong-jin was with his wife, two other daughters and Chloe's aunt at Phoenix Snow Park in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, to see Chloe's Winter Olympics debut in the women's half-pipe event."At first, I didn't really think about t

More SportsFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Foreigners enjoy coffee festival in Gangneung

Gangneung, the sub-host city of the PyeongChang Winter Games, is facing an unforeseen boom in its local coffee scene.This year, Gangneung’s annual coffee festival takes place during the Winter Olympic Games, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25 under the name, “2018 Gangneung World Winter Coffee Festival: JazzPresso.”On the first weekend after the Olympic Games kicked off, many foreign visitors could be seen at Anmok Beach, which is known for having cafes line the beach. Visitors to Gangneung spend time on Gy

Olympic GamesFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] BBC presenter’s makeup feels ‘frozen’ at PyeongChang

Amid the bitter cold weather sweeping across the Olympic host city of PyeongChang, Amy Williams, BBC’s presenter and former Olympic gold medalist in skeleton, asked her Twitter followers if “anyone knows how to do oil-based makeup well” via social media. “When I tried on water-based makeup, rather than oil-based, my face felt like it was frozen,” she wrote. Along with hashtags “help” and “face freeze,” Williams appeared desperate for cold weather makeup secrets.  BBC’s TV presenter Amy Williams

More SportsFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] 3 things you might have missed about the opening ceremony

The much-anticipated opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was finally revealed to the world on Friday. Global media scampered to comment on the ceremony’s prominent points, which included the use of drones to create the Olympic flag mid-air and a creepy yet intriguing bird puppet with a human face. The following are three additional pieces of trivia about some of the ceremony’s other highlights.   The PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony took place last Friday. (Yonhap)1.

Olympic GamesFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Men's hockey coach reminds players 1st Olympic match 'just another game'

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- In sports, coaches all have different ways of motivating their players and helping them stay focused on the task at hand.Jim Paek, head coach of the South Korean men's hockey team at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, faces a particularly tall task. None of his 25 players has played in the Olympics before, and he understands that first-game jitters will be inevitable.When South Korea takes on the Czech Republic on Thursday for its Olympic debut, Paek will try to tell

More SportsFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Female short track star Choi Min-jeong ready for women's 500m final

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- South Korean short track star Choi Min-jeong, who set a new Olympic record in the women's 500 meters last week in heats, said Monday that she is ready to fight for the country's first gold in the distance."I have made all the necessary preparations. I will race without any regrets," Choi told reporters after finishing her practice at an ice rink in Gangneung, the sub-host city of the 2018 Winter Games.Choi has reached the quarterfinals in the 500m, which will take place

More SportsFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Women's giant slalom event rescheduled due to bad weather

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The organizers of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Monday rescheduled the women's giant slalom event due to unfavorable weather conditions.The women's giant slalom was scheduled to start at Yongpyong Alpine Centre in PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul, at 10:15 a.m. Monday, but the organizers decided to postpone the event due to high winds and bad weather. It said the event will start at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, with the second run slated for 1:15 p.m. on the

More SportsFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] A touching photograph shows NK coaches rooting for S. Korean athlete

The photograph of two North Korean coaches cheering on a South Korean skier has been getting some attention on social media here. Kim Eun-ho participated in Olympic cross country skiing men‘s 15km + 15km skiathlon Sunday. Despite great efforts, the lone South Korean cross-country skier was disqualified after getting lapped by the head of the race.However, fans were touched by the North Korean coaches who came out to encourage Kim.Two N. Korean coaches cheering South Korean skier Kim Eun-ho. (Yon

More SportsFeb. 12, 2018

[Weather] Wind chill drops temperatures to -21 C in PyeongChang

Extreme cold weather is to continue in Gangwon Province on Monday, where PyeongChang and the two subhost cities of the 2018 Winter Olympics are located, with the wind chill falling to minus 21 degrees Celsius at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre in PyeongChang.The weather agency said Monday’s high is expected to hit minus 8 C and 1 C in Daegwallyeong and Gangneung, respectively, with light snow overnight in the western inland region of Gangwon Province.  Spectators view the women’s 7.5-kilometer spri

Olympic GamesFeb. 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] North Korean troupe packs something extra for Seoul performance

As North Korea’s Samjiyon Orchestra neared the end of its Seoul performance on Sunday, its leader Hyon Song-wol stepped on to the stage and grabbed the microphone. North Korean Samjiyon Orchestra's leader Hyon Song-wol performs Sunday in Seoul. Yonhap“I’ve crossed the inter-Korean borders twice to come here to the South. It pained me to realize that the distance between Pyongyang and Seoul is so close but it feels so far away,” Hyon said as she announced that she will sing a song herself. “I’ve

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[Photo News] Crowded roads at Olympics

CONGESTED ROADS TO OLYMPICS -- The Daegwallyeong IC linking Seoul to the main venues for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is congested with traffic Sunday. A total of 2,952 athletes are competing in 102 sports across 15 different events over the course of 16 days. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) CONGESTED ROADS TO OLYMPICS -- The Daegwallyeong IC linking Seoul to the main venues for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics is congested with traffic Sunday. A total of 2,952 athletes are competing in 102 s

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[Photo News] Norway sweeps gold, silver and bronze at men‘s 30 km skiathlon

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Norway swept the medals board at the men’s 30km skiathlon on Feb. 11, at PyeongChang Olympics. Simen Hegstad Krueger nabbed the gold despite a fall in the first lap. Krueger crossed the line in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 20 seconds. Martin Johnsrud Sundby followed, taking silver, and Hans Christer Holund took bronze. This was Norway’s first gold in the PyeongChang Olympics.The crowd gathered to cheer despite the biting cold.  Gold medalist Simen Hegstad Krueger (Center)

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] The man who shook hands with the North Korean cheerleader

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- When Jeong Yeon-min, 57, came to watch the men’s short track speedskating Olympic game at Gangneung Ice Arena on Saturday, he was in for two surprises. One was South Korea’s first gold won by speedskater Lim Hyo-jun, and second was a rare spectacle of North Korean cheerleaders waving and singing at the section right next to him. He even had the chance to shake hands with one of the ladies. Jeong Yeon-min shakes hands with a North Korean cheerleader. (Paul Kerry/The

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[Photo News] Lim Hyo-jun celebrates gold

Here are the Olympic gold medalists and winning team for Saturday at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, including South Korea's first gold Lim Hyo-jun.South Korea’s Lim Hyo-jun won gold in the mens 1,500 meter short track speed skating on Saturday, the first medal of Olympic for the host country. YonhapSven Kramer celebrates his gold in the mens 5,000 meter for his third straight title. YonhapLaura Dahlmeier took Germany’s first gold medal in the women’s biathlon sprint. YonhapNetherlands gold m

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

After gold, short track gold medalist Lim Hyo-jun to keep pushing

PYEONGCHANG -- South Korea's first gold medalist at PyeongChang Olympics Lim Hyo-jun said Sunday that he will never let his guard down to bring home more gold, while competing on home soil at the world's biggest winter sports competition."It was like a dream come true. It's still incredible that I won gold," the 21-year old said at the medal ceremony held at the PyeongChang Medal Plaza in PyeongChang. "But there are still many competitions out there. I'll do my best to keep this tempo further." 

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

US IOC member suggests joint Korean team for Nobel peace prize

PYEONGCHANG -- A senior American member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on Sunday for North and South Korea's joint women's ice hockey team to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.Angela Ruggiero, a four-times ice hockey world champion and Olympic gold medallist, told Reuters she would ask others to nominate the team, which included 12 players from North Korea which is still technically at war with the South.It was the first time an inter-Korean team had competed at an Olym

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

Celebrity faces backlash over remarks during PyeongChang broadcast

PYEONGCHANG -- South Korean celebrity Kim Mi-hwa came under fire Sunday for having made seemingly uninformed and highly-opinionated comments during MBC TV's broadcast of the PyeongChang Winter Games' opening ceremony.The veteran comedian-turned-radio host appeared as a guest commentator on MBC TV's broadcast of the PyeongChang Olympics'on Friday, along with the station's sportscaster Park Kyung-chu and commentator Hur Seung-wook.  Kim Mi-hwa (right, Yonhap)Many viewers have expressed discomfort

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[Photo News] ‘Super Store’ in Olympic Park welcomes customers

The largest official stores of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opened in Gangneung Olympic Park and PyeongChang Olympic Plaza on Thursday and Friday respectively. On Sunday afternoon, the Super Store in Gangneung was packed with sports fans, who were looking for souvenirs and gifts. Super Store in Gangneung Olympic Park. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)The store features some 1,100 official licensed products, including Olympic mascots Soohorang and Bandabi rag dolls. The Super Stores will r

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] NBC apologizes to Korea after correspondent’s comment at PyeongChang

US broadcaster NBC has apologized for a controversial comment made on Korea-Japan relations during Friday’s opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games, after receiving numerous complaints and angry posts online.　It was NBC’s Asian correspondent, Joshua Cooper Ramo, who said “every Korean” thinks Japan has been a very “important” example to South Korea’s own achievements. 　Many South Koreans, as well as Korean-Americans, found the comment to be insensitive to the nation’s own history, including Ja

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Lim Hyo-jun’s short track gold marks promising start for Korea

South Korea’s Lim Hyo-jun on Saturday won the nation’s first gold medal in the men’s 1,500-meter short track speedskating event, bringing an auspicious start for the country that aims for a medal sweep at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.Lim crossed the finish line in an Olympic record time of 2:10.485 at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, a subhost city for the Winter Games. Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands took the silver medal and Semen Elistratov of Olympic Athletes from Russia

Olympic GamesFeb. 11, 2018