Korea celebrates 100-day countdown to PyeongChang Olympics

Actress Katerina Lehou as high priestess, right, lights the torch for Greek cross-country skier Apostolos Angelis during the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame in ancient Olympia, southwestern Greece, on Oct. 24. / Yonhap

By Baek Byung-yeul

The countdown to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics reaches 100 days on Wednesday and the whole country is in the mood for celebrating Korea’s first-ever Winter Games.

The 2018 Winter Olympics will take place at the resort town of PyeongChang and its neighboring cities from Feb. 9 to 25. Under the slogan “Passion. Connected.,” 5,000 athletes from about 100 countries will compete for 102 gold medals in 15 disciplines at 12 venues.

The flame for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Olympics, on Oct. 24. The Korean delegation brings the flame to Incheon, Wednesday, when the 100-day countdown starts.

To spice up the mood in Korea, the Olympic torch relay will begin a 2,018-kilometer-long tour through 17 cities nationwide and 18 cities and counties in Gangwon Province. The relay will have 7,500 runners, representing 75 million people on the Korean Peninsula.

Korean football legend Park Ji-sung, right, receives the Olympic flame for the PyeongChang Winter Games from Greek cross-country skier Apostolos Angelis in Olympia, Greece, Oct. 24. / Yonhap

Lee Hee-beom, president of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Games (POCOG) said the organizers are all set to welcome people from all over the world.

“Tomorrow the wait is over for Korea,” Lee said during a press conference at the Hellenic Olympic Committee headquarters in Athens, Monday. “We’re ready to welcome everyone in the world.”

The POCOG chief added they have not decided the last torchbearer. “We’re currently reviewing candidates,” he said. “We’ll reveal the final torchbearer when the time comes, and it’ll be a surprise.”

Korean figure skating icon Kim Yuna also said the torch relay would put more Koreans in the Olympic mood.

“I can now feel the PyeongChang Olympics are getting started,” the honorary ambassador to the PyeongChang Olympics said in Greece. “Once the flame lands in South Korea, I hope the Olympic fever will surge with the torch relay.”

Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan, who also attended the lighting ceremony of the Olympic flame, said the government has been doing its best to make the Olympics a happy festival. “PyeongChang Olympics are centered around the people,” Do said. “The Olympic flame will connect everyone’s passion.”

Do said the government has been working for North Korea’s participation in the Olympics as it will signify the Olympic spirit and ensure security at the Olympics.

“North Korea’s participation means we have a safe and peaceful Olympics,” Do said. “It will also raise the popularity of the PyeongChang Games because the world will be watching.”

The move comes amid growing tension on the Korean Peninsula following the North’s pursuit of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear programs.

This bird’s eye view shows the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in Gangwon Province, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. / Yonhap

K-pop concerts, cultural events to be held

Celebrating the 100-day countdown, various kinds of cultural events and K-pop concerts will take place nationwide to build the Olympic mood.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the POCOG will hold art and entertainment events nationwide.

At Gwanghwamun Plaza in downtown Seoul, there will be exhibitions and K-pop concerts for a week from Wednesday to Nov. 7. The Wednesday concert will feature popular idol groups like BTS, TWICE and EXO. Renowned artist Lee Lee-nam also holds a media art exhibition during this period.

At the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul on Thursday and Friday, the Olympism of Five Rings, a musical group comprised of performers from five continents around the world, will perform. Estonian conductor and composer Kristjan Jarvi and the Kim Deok-su Samulnori band will collaborate with musicians from more than 10 countries.

At the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza in Gangwon Province, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, another K-pop concert will be held on Saturday. Titled “2017 Dream Concert in PyeongChang,” the country’s famous acts including EXO-CBX, EXID, Laboum, B.A.P, Red Velvet, CLC, B.I.G, Gugudan, VIXX and more will join the concert.

World Cinema Week will run at the Cinematheque of the Korean Film Archive in Seoul from Wednesday to Sunday. At the venue, 23 sports films from 21 countries will be screened.

The annual Seoul Lantern Festival at Cheonggye Stream will illuminate the city from Nov. 3 to 19 with an Olympic theme.

Visit blog.naver.com/2018cultureolympiad for more information on cultural events related to the PyeongChang Olympics.

Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa practices with teammates during an opening national team training session at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul on Oct. / Yonhap

Offline ticket sales to start

With the Olympics just around the corner, offline ticket sales are set to start in November.

POCOG said Sunday, tickets will be available offline starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, at three main ticket centers including Seoul City Hall, Gangwon Provincial Government and Gangneung City Hall.

POCOG said tickets will also go on sale at Incheon and Gimpo international airports starting Friday and at 19 KTX train stations starting Nov. 6.

POCOG said tickets will feature pictograms for each sport with images of snowflakes in the shape of Korean letters in the background.

PyeongChang eateries ready to welcome foreigners

With the PyeongChang Olympics nearing, restaurants of the host cities are ready to welcome overseas tourists as they have been providing multi-language menus.

The Gangwon Provincial Government has spent 2 billion won ($1.8 million) to help 2,000 restaurants in PyeongChang and other Olympic venues create multi-language menus.

The local restaurants had been criticized for providing menus written only in Korean since the first test event for the Winter Olympics last year. Now, most of the restaurants are prepared multi-language menus written in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese.

The provincial government has also helped local eateries set up English-language signboards and purchase sanitary products.