[PyeongChang 2018] Two NK taekwondo athletes part of North's women's hockey staff

Two members of North Korea's taekwondo squad that will perform in the South during the Winter Olympics were found to have made their way across the border earlier than initially expected, as supporting members of the country's women's hockey team, officials said Tuesday.The Unification Ministry announced that a 280-member North Korean delegation, including cheerleaders and taekwondo demonstrators, will travel to South Korea on Wednesday ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.The ministry said

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] S. Korean cosmetics for N. Korean figure skater Ryom Tae-ok

Regardless of the inter-Korean and sports rivalry enveloping them, South Korean figure skating pair Kim Kyu-eun, 19, and Kam Kang-chan, 23, are seemingly in a fairly great relationship with the North Korean pair Ryom Tae-ok, 19, and Kim Ju-sik, 26. The pairs trained alongside each other at Gangneung Ice Arena, Monday, for a session that lasted about 40 minutes from 3 p.m. during which they smiled at each other when their eyes met. Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik (Yonhap)Throngs of Korean and foreign

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang 2018's top organizer confident of sellout

The top organizer of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics said Tuesday he's confident of a sellout at the quadrennial competition.Lee Hee-beom, head of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Games, said that as of Monday, 826,000 tickets had been sold, 77.3 percent of the total available.(Yonhap)"Compared to previous Olympics, the sales rate isn't too bad," Lee said at a press conference. "On Monday alone, we sold 7,600 tickets. We've been selling between 7,000 an

More SportsFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang organizers roll out Q&A chatbot on Facebook Messenger

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics Committee has introduced a Q&A chatbot on Facebook Messenger that converses with you in text to provide automated answers to Olympic-related inquiries, Facebook said Tuesday.　Those interested in the service can visit the PyeongChang Olympics’ official Facebook Page and click “send message” to begin conversing with the chatbot via Facebook Messenger. The chatbot is available only in English and Korean. The Olympics chatbot can provide answers to simple topics such

TechnologyFeb. 6, 2018

[Photo News] South, North skaters share ice rink in first joint practice

South and North Korean pair figure skaters shared the ice for the first time during a practice session at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Monday. The two pairs from each half of the peninsula, Kim Kyu-eun and Kam Kang-chan from the South and Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik from the North, practiced side by side ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which start Friday. It was the first time the Kim-Kam duo practiced at the Gangneung Ice Arena. Ryom and Kim arrived in South Korea last Thursday and began

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan eyes top 10 at PyeongChang

GANGNEUNG -- Korea's figure skater Cha Jun-hwan is well prepared to make a top-10 finish at his first Olympics in PyeongChang, his Canadian coach said Tuesday."After he won nationals and earned his spot to come to the Olympics, he came back to Toronto as a different person," Brian Oser told reporters after wrapping up Cha's first practice session at Gangneung Ice Arena three days before the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. "He was stronger; he was faster. He's pretty excited."Cha, 16,

More SportsFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Korean short track team starts training in upbeat mood

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- South Korea's national short track speed skating team started training in the Olympic city of Gangneung on Tuesday, highly confident of their prospects at the upcoming PyeongChang Games.The five male and five female skaters focused on speed and teamwork at the first training session at the ice rink at Gangneung Yeongdong University in the sub-host city of the Olympics.They arrived in Gangneung on Monday. The Winter Games are set to kick off Friday."We have finished trai

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] K-pop performances at Olympics venues

The Olympics offer the chance to witness the top athletes from around the world, but the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games will also allow visitors to experience K-pop entertainment.“We are preparing around 400 various events during 20-30 minute intermissions to wow and entertain fans,” an official from the sports presentation division of the organizing committee for the Olympic Games said.Participating K-pop artists include boy band Teen Top, girl group Momoland and singers like Ail

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Government to exempt freeway tolls near PyeongChang during Olympics

South Korean government will exempt freeway fees for drivers passing through toll gates adjacent to venues of 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games. According to the event’s organizing committee and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, any car that passes through the eight tollgates of Myeonon, PyeongChang, Soksa, Jinbu, Daegwanryeong, Gangneung, North Gangneung and South Gangneung in Gangwon Province.  (Yonhap)The benefit will be made available to not only the cars that a

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

Moon says PyeongChang Olympics will mark start of building peace in Asia

South Korean President Moon Jae-in reaffirmed his efforts Monday to make the upcoming Winter Olympic Games here a success, saying the event will mark the start of establishing peace in the region. The remarks came in the 132nd session of the International Olympic Committee, held in Gangneung, a coastal city located 230 kilometers east of Seoul."Now, the IOC and the Republic of Korea are joined here together with the opening of peaceful and safe Olympic Games that we have worked together for just

Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2018

North Korean IOC member wishes country's Olympians to 'do their best'

Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympics Committee, said Monday he wishes athletes from his country to "do their best" at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics."I haven't had the opportunity to meet with the North Korean athletes. I will tell them to do their best," Chang said at the cafeteria of the PyeongChang Olympic Village, the main athletes' village of the first Winter Games in South Korea. Chang Ung (Yonhap)Chang, a former basketball player, was participating in a V

Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Malaysian chief chef ‘ready to serve halal menu’

Faizul Hazly, Malaysian local food company Mamee’s executive chef, said he “will ensure to prepare around 20 halal meals that meet the international standard” for Muslim delegates from around the world, the chef said in an interview with The Herald Business.  Malaysian local food company Mamee’s executive chef Faizul Hazly displays halal foods at the headquarters of Shinsegae Food in Seoul on Friday. The Herald BusinessBased at the catering venue of both Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games slate

Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Meet the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics mascots: Soohorang and Bandabi

At every Olympic Game, there is a unique mascot which bolsters Olympic spirit while promoting the culture and values of the event’s host city and country.　And in South Korea, a white tiger named Soohorang and an Asiatic black bear named Bandabi will each be representing the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games set to kick off in PyeongChang this week. There is a rich symbolism and culture behind the two animals, which are closely associated with Korean traditional folklore and mythology. Bandabi

CultureFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Winter Olympic athletes to be provided with 110,000 condoms

The PyeongChang Olympics will set a record for most condoms distributed during the Winter Games.According to the PyeongChang Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Thursday, about 110,000 condoms will be doled out at the Olympic Village and venues. With 2,925 men and women set to participate, it averages out to nearly 38 condoms per athlete over the two-week period, although they will also be accessible to Olympic staff.The Korean Association for AIDS Prevention supplied 10,00

Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] How to survive the coldest Winter Olympics

Both local and global media predict that PyeongChang could be the coldest Winter Olympics witnessed in recent decades. The northeastern Gangwon Province, where Pyeongchang county is located, is generally considered the coldest region in South Korea. This year is seeing a particularly cold winter, with ice sheets in rivers and lakes freezing some 25 centimeters thicker on average than last year, according to reports.The following are several tips for braving the cold and ingenious heat-trapping i

Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Joint Korean hockey team players separated at athletes' village

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- Members of the joint Korean women's hockey team will stay in separate apartment buildings inside their athletes' village during the PyeongChang Winter Games.The joint team played its much-anticipated first match against Sweden in an exhibition game on Sunday in Incheon, just west of Seoul. After dropping the game 3-1, the team traveled more than 230 kilometers east to Gangneung, a sub-host city which will stage all ice events, and checked in to Gangneung Olympic Villa

More SportsFeb. 5, 2018

[Video] Taking KTX train to Olympics

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics are just around the corner, with opening ceremonies kicking off Friday.For those who have never been to the Gangwon Province, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are to take place, the easiest way to get to the region will be via KTX trains.Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeo Gyeonggang Line KTX, the bullet train to Gangwon Province, launched its service on Dec. 22, 2017. The line was built specifically for the Olympics, and cuts down travel time fr

Olympic GamesFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] 'Super Bowl Monday' as PyeongChang hosts watch party

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- It was "Super Bowl Monday" here in PyeongChang on the first day of the working week.On a frigid morning in the mountains in the eastern part of South Korea on Monday, fans of American football got to watch the sport's biggest annual event in the comfort of the PyeongChang press center -- with some free snacks to boot.If you were in PyeongChang to cover the 2018 Winter Olympics or if you were working behind the scenes to organize the event, and you were desperate to ca

More SportsFeb. 5, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] IOC vows to protect athletes from harassment, abuse in PyeongChang

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will give its best efforts in cooperation with experts from around the world to protect athletes from harassment and abuse at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, its leader on athlete safeguarding programs said Sunday.Susan Greinig, the IOC Safeguarding Officer, emphasized that the IOC is trying to find solutions to harassment and abuse toward athletes. She said this has been the IOC's work since 2004."The fact that sport is a microcosm of society, this (ha

Olympic GamesFeb. 4, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] N. Koreans make little impact in joint women's hockey team debut

The historic joint Korean women's hockey team made its much-anticipated debut against Sweden on Sunday, with 18 South Koreans joined by four North Koreans in their only tuneup game before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.None of those four players -- forwards Jong Su-hyon, Ryo Song-hui and Kim Un-hyang, and defenseman Hwang Chung-gum -- made much of an impact, as Sweden prevailed 3-1 at Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon, just west of Seoul. Joint team plays at Seonhak International Ice Ri

Olympic GamesFeb. 4, 2018