The day's relay began with tennis instructor Kim Il-sun, former coach of the Australian Open semifinalist Chung Hyeon, followed by Lee Hee-beom, head of PyeongChang's Olympic organizing committee.

Choi Seung-hun, who sang the South Korean national anthem at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, received the flame from Lee and then passed it on to Bach.

Bach then carried the flame for about 200 meters before meeting the next runner, Miroslav Lajcak, president of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"I do the torch relay now for the seventh time, but every time it's like a first time," Bach said. "It's a very special and emotional moment."

PyeongChang 2018 is the first Winter Olympics in South Korea and also the first Olympic Games since the Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988. The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. (Yonhap)