PYEONGCHANG -- North Korean para athletes have officially made their Winter Paralympics debut here as two sit skiers competed in the men's cross-country skiing event on Sunday.Kim Jong-hyon and Ma Yu-chol competed in the men's 15-kilometer sitting cross-country skiing event at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics at Alpensia Biathlon Centre in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul.The two North Koreans were the bottom two finishers among the 27 competitors who completed the race. Ma took

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said Saturday they've agreed to extend their partnership until at least 2032.   IOC President Thomas Bach and IPC chief Andrew Parsons held a joint press conference at Main Press Centre in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, to announce the signing of a new partnership between the two sport organizations.    "The IOC is very pleased about this new long-term agreement with the IPC because it was one of the recom

Slovakia's Henrieta Farkasova won the first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics on Saturday in women's vision impaired downhill skiing.   Farkasova and her guide Natalia Subrtova finished in 1min 29.72 sec, beating second-placed Millie Knight of Britain and her guide Brett Wild by 0.86 sec.   It was the Slovakian's sixth Paralympic gold in vision impaired skiing. Belgium's Eleonor took the bronze medal, finishing the course in 1min 31.60 sec.   Slovakia's Henrieta Farasova and her g

South Korean wheelchair curler Seo Soon-seok said Saturday he was notified just hours before the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics that he would light the Paralympic cauldron with a fellow curler.    Seo and Kim Eun-jung, a member of the South Korean women's curling team that won silver at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, were the final torchbearers for the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics.The two athletes lit the cauldron together at the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwo

Eight South Korean athletes, including a handful of Paralympic medalists, carried the national flag into the main stadium for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, during the opening ceremony on Friday.They carried the national flag along the frozen waterway depicted on the stage, with Kim Mi-jeong, an alpine skier with a visual impairment, helped by her guide Kim Nam-hee. (Yonhap) (Yonhap)After the flag was hoisted, the stage was colored with the red and blue of "taeguek," the interlocking t

President Moon Jae-in on Friday extolled the PyeongChang Winter Games for setting the stage for a detente in which "the denuclearization and peace of the Korean Peninsula is becoming a reality."In an address to a reception just hours before the opening of the Paralympics in the eastern alpine resort, Moon also asked participants to warmly welcome North Korea to its first Winter Paralympics.(Yonhap)"South and North Korea agreed to hold a summit in late April and U.S. President Trump promised toda

With the Paralympics kicking off Friday, visitors to South Korea can participate in a number of activities related to the Paralympics in Seoul, the Korea Tourism Organization said Friday. Located near the tourist spot Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, the KTO’s Seoul Center consists of five floors. Each floor offers unique activities, ranging from donning Korean traditional costumes, or hanbok, to creating delicious Korean cuisine. Foreigners can also experience K-pop at the center. A photo booth featuri

Despite being the host country of the 2018 Winter Games, South Korea is far behind other countries in its TV coverage of the Paralympic Games, which kicked off on Friday.Three major Korean broadcasting stations, KBS, MBC and SBS, are each expected to spend a total of around 18 to 30 hours on programs devoted to the Paralympic Winter Games.As the 2018 Paralympics will be held for ten days from March 9 to 18, this means that major TV networks in Korea are to air about two hours of Paralympic progr

Last month, the white tiger Soohorang received global attention for his adorable antics as the PyeongChang Winter Olympics mascot.The position will now be handed over to the black bear Bandabi, the official mascot for the PyeongChang Paralympic Games that run from Friday to March 18. A whimsical video featuring the two mascots was uploaded on to the official PyeongChang Instagram account Wednesday. Soohorang was spotted giving instructions and tips on how to captivate audiences with cute gesture

Still rumbling with excitement from the Winter Games, which wrapped up last month, South Korea’s Gangwon Province is playing host to another multinational sporting event, the PyeongChang Paralympics, which kicked off Friday.The opening ceremony for the games was held at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Friday, attended by athletes and guests from all across the world.  The opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Paralympics is held at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in Gangwon Province on Friday. (Yo

[Herald Interview] Renowned veteran portrait photographer talks about excitement in Paralympics, documenting athletes’ private, public moments

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Para Nordic skier Sin Eui-hyun will carry the South Korean national flag at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games on Friday after the host nation and North Korea failed to reach an agreement on a joint parade under a single flag. The local organizing committee unveiled the list of all flagbearers for the opening ceremony for the 12th Winter Paralympics, set to start at 8 p.m. Friday at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwon

Team Korea House, a facility that promotes the country and offers support for international athletes and guests, reopened its doors Friday for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics.The house, which received some 200,000 visitors during the Winter Olympics from Feb. 9-25, has renovated its interior for the Paralympics, which run from Friday to March 18. On its first floor, an exhibit titled “Touring Korea in 360 degrees” shows photos and other works promoting Korea’s tourist attractions. An exp

PYEONGCHANG -- The two Koreas have decided not to have a joint march at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, the South's Korean Paralympic Committee (KPC) said Thursday.South and North Korea previously agreed to have a joint parade at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics at the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, on Friday.  Athletes and officials dine in the athletes' village in Pyeongchang Thursday. (Yonhap)The KPC will later release a

South Korean President Moon Jae-in conferred a state medal on Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Thursday for his contributions to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.Bach was presented with the Cheongryong Medal, the highest decoration in the country's Order of Sport Merit, in a ceremony at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. President Moon Jae-in (right) confers the Cheongryong Medal on IOC chief Thomas Bach at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. (Yonhap)"North K