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 Games Feb. 11, 2018

Gangneung will exempt taxis from a restriction on operations in order to increase the supply of taxis during the Olympics. Taxis in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, are usually required to take one day off when they have operated for two consecutive days, but the recent increase in visitors to the city has prompted the authorities to lift the rule during the Olympic period from Feb. 10 to 25. (Yonhap)As for vehicles other than rental cars and public transportation services, those with odd plate numb

Travel Feb. 11, 2018

Weekly K-pop concerts will take place at Gangneung’s Olympic Park starting Sunday, as part of the Olympic celebrations.Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is one of the cities hosting events for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games in PyeongChang. All the games on ice take place in Gangneung.There will be three concerts during the Olympics and one during the Paralympics. The first is on Sunday, when rock bank YB, rapper and singer Heize, and K-pop groups EXID, WJSN and Teen Top are slated to perform.T

Performance Feb. 11, 2018

Some 100 North Korean cheerleaders sang in unison for the Korean short track speedskaters competing in the men‘s short track at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Saturday. The all-women squad’s collective voice echoed the arena, stealing some of the limelight from the athletes on the ice. Members of the crowd joined in some of the songs and a mexican wave the group started.The squad also chanted “We are,“ motioning towards the people holding the South Korean flag to return the chant with ”One,“ complet

Olympic Games Feb. 10, 2018

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics is the 23rd Winter Olympic Games to take place since it began in 1924 at the foot of Mont Blanc in Chamonix and Haute-Savoie, France.This year‘s games kick off Friday and run until the 25th, passing the baton to the Paralympics in March. Get to know the PyeongChang Olympics better through the numbers below.Hedvig Wessel of Norway in action during the Women`s Moguls qualification at the Phoenix Snow Park during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, in Pye

Olympic Games Feb. 9, 2018

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 Games Feb. 6, 2018

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 Games Feb. 5, 2018

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 Games Feb. 5, 2018

The resale of tickets for the PyeongChang Olympics at a premium is punishable by a fine of up to 5 million won ($4,700), according to article 92 of the Special Act on Support for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Joongonara, Korea’s biggest e-market for secondhand goods, has cautioned its some 16 million users against trading Olympic tickets on its website, relaying the notice sent out by the PyeongChang Organizing Committee. The notice makes it clear that trading the tic

Olympic Games Jan. 25, 2018

As the KTX “bullet train” to Gangwon Province passes through its final stations, visitors to the Olympic Games venue may intuitively choose to disembark at PyeongChang Station. But here is why “PyeongChang 2018” may be the most misleading name for the Winter Olympics in South Korea -- not only does the name sound precariously similar to the capital of North Korea (Pyongyang), PyeongChang only has one Olympics venue: Phoenix Snow Park, where Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard games will take place. P

Olympic Games Jan. 24, 2018

The 2018 Hanbok Winter Market, featuring various styles of Korean traditional costume hanbok, is taking place at Culture Station Seoul 284. The event began Friday and runs through Monday.  Modern interpretations of hanbok are displayed at Culture Station Seoul 284. (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)Held jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Hanbok Advancement Center, the event features some 50 hanbok brands’ pop-up stores, where various styles of hanbok are showcased and sold

Arts & Design Jan. 21, 2018

North Korea’s delegation arrived to South Korea on Sunday to inspect venues for its proposed art performances at next month’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Hyon Song-wol, head of the Samjiyon Orchestra, led the seven-member delegation. At the age of 35, Hyun is one of the most influential women in the reclusive regime. She is also the director of the Moranbong Band, the North’s much publicized all-female musical group. Hyon Song-wol arrives in Seoul (Yonhap)Reporters crowd the North Korean delega

North Korea Jan. 21, 2018

South Korea's presidential office on Sunday welcomed the International Olympic Committee's approval of North Korean athletes' participation in the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The IOC said Saturday that North Korea will be allowed to send 22 athletes to compete in three sports at the games after a meeting with representatives from the two Koreas in Lausanne, Switzerland.They include 12 North Korean players to join the South Korean women's hockey squad to establish the first joint Olympi

Olympic Games Jan. 21, 2018

On Friday afternoon, young Korean college players and Canadian soldiers faced off for a friendly game of ice hockey, a commemorative event to honor the Canadian veterans who had fought in the Korean War (1950-53), and to mark the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games opening next month.While the annual Imjin Classic Hockey Games have been held every year, this time, the match was being hosted at the very site where over 60 years ago, the Canadian soldiers played in a brief escape from the brutalities

Defense Jan. 19, 2018

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s decision to pull money from the Disaster Relief Fund for costs incurred by the free public transit system is a violation of higher law, Rep. Lim Lee-ja of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party said Wednesday. The city of Seoul on Monday and Wednesday provided free public transportation during heavy commuting hours due to critical fine dust density. The free rides comes in a bid to reduce vehicle emissions. While on Monday the program showed little effect, as

Social Affairs Jan. 17, 2018