PYEONGCHANG -- Traveling east of the megalopolis that is Seoul, one will find the snow-covered PyeongChang-gun.

The usually quiet county is now buzzing with anticipation and preparations for the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, which will mark the first time for the global event to be held in Korea.

The games will commence on Feb. 9, 2018.

Officials from the joint civilian-government preparation committee say the sports events currently being held in PyeongChang, a year ahead of the Winter Olympiad, are of utmost importance.

“Right now the conditions -- including the weather -- are very close to how it will be on the day of the Winter Olympics. We are hosting events that helps us figure out what sectors still need improvement,” said Sung Baik-you, the spokesperson for the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Asked what improvements need to be made, he replied, “numerous.” 

“From maintaining the ice, traffic, accommodations -- issues keep popping up. We are debriefed each time they come up,” Sung said.

Unlike in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the PyeongChang Winter Games does not have the luxury of having the nation’s biggest city as the venue. Currently, the road leading to the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies only has four lanes.

It is as of yet unclear whether or not PyeongChang, Gangneung city and neighboring towns in Gangwon Province -- which are used to hosting local skiers -- will be able to accommodate the visitors expected during the Olympics.

But the organizers stress the infrastructure will present little challenge, as new railroads connecting Gangwon Province to Seoul and Incheon -- where the nation’s biggest international airport is located -- are expected to be completed and in operation by the end of this year.

With the new high-speed rail services, it will take little more than 70 minutes from Seoul to PyeongChang and under 100 minutes from Incheon to Jinbu Station in PyeongChang.

Most of the construction work for the PyeongChang Winter Games is nearly completed as well, according to the organizing committee.

The pentagon-shaped outdoor stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies -- the last of the major buildings to be built -- is currently at 39.5 percent completion and is expected to be up and running on Sept. 31.

Preparations for the venue and the programs appear to be going without a hitch, but some difficulties remain.

“The biggest problem is the budget. While not necessarily hoping to make money, our goal is to at least make as much money as we spend,” said Sung. “For this, we acquire sponsorship and other deals, but at this point we expect to be about 400 billion won ($350 million) short.”

He said that funding from state-run companies has dried up in the aftermath of the influence-peddling and corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.

Recent investigations have indicated that Park and Choi’s inner circle abused their influence and authority to use state-run culture and sports projects for their personal gain.

With Park impeached -- currently awaiting a decision from the Constitutional Court -- and the administration virtually ground to a halt in her final year in office, the government appears to have lost the momentum in terms of providing help for the Olympics.

In addition, the heads of the biggest conglomerates in the country -- many of which are sponsors for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics -- are currently being investigated for alleged bribes to Park and Choi’s inner circle.

“The infrastructure is near complete. Now the focus is on how well we operate the programs and how we can ensure that the visitors can enjoy their time here,” said Sung.

He added that the Gangwon Province will be at the crossroads with the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics -- remain a remote skiing town or take the next step.

“Cities like Seoul and Busan are ‘internationalized.’ People of PyeongChang have been content receiving local visitors, but they should be ready to receive international guests as well.

“The remote province of Gangwon has become somewhere you can visit in an hour. Now it has a chance to become an internationally known tourism spot.”

Tickets for the Winter Olympics are available for booking on Thursday, which marks exactly one year before the event.

About 70 percent of the 1.18 million tickets will be sold in the country, while the rest will be made available abroad. One person can buy as many as 50 tickets, but can only buy up to four tickets for what has been categorized as high-demand events.

These events include: the opening and closing ceremonies, short track speed skating, speed skating (excluding men’s 10,000 meters), figure skating, ski jumping finals, curling finals and ice hockey (the men’s semifinals, bronze medal game and final and the women’s final). Visitors can buy up to eight tickets for other events.

Those wishing to attend the events can register online at www.pyeongchang2018.com (Korean) or www.pyeongchang2018.com/horizon/eng/index.asp (English) from Thursday to April 23 for the ticket lottery. Results will be posted May 8.

Those who win the lottery will have a chance to buy the tickets for the events for which they signed up.

The first window will offer about 60 percent of the tickets for high-demand sessions and 80 percent of tickets for other sessions. Starting Sept. 5, the tickets will be sold in real time during the online general sales period and onsite sales will commence in October.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)