Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympics Committee (IOC), said Monday that he was touched by the scene of South and North Korean athletes' joint march during the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics last week.   Speaking at a sports diplomacy photo exhibition in Gangneung, a sub-host city of the Feb. 9-25 games, he also touted the two Koreas' joint women's hockey team as carrying a significant meaning.   "I felt exactly the same way you, journalists, have fel

Switzerland defeated Japan 3-1 for its second straight win in the women's hockey tournament at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics here on Monday.   Forward Sara Benz scored twice in the second period, and Alina Muller added another in the third at Kwandong Hockey Centre, as Switzerland moved to the top of Group B with six points. The Swiss beat the joint Korean team 8-0 on Saturday.Japan has now lost two straight games, having fallen to Sweden 2-1 on Saturday. Japan will next face Korea at 4:40 p.m

Three North Koreans, including one new face, dressed for the joint Korean female hockey team's second game, against Sweden at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, on Monday.   At least three out of 22 players in the lineup for each game must be from North Korea, as per terms set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the combined team last month. And head coach Sarah Murray went with forwards Kim Un-hyang and Ryo Song-hui and defenseman Hwang Chung-gum.   Ryo is making her Olympic debut, r

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The city of PyeongChang is operating homestay services for foreign visitors to the PyeongChang Olympics, in a bid to help supply more housing options for avid Olympic-goers.The homestay hosts are limited to 60 in total, including 21 in Bongpyeong, 13 in Jinbu, six in Yongpyeong and four in Daegwallyeong. As of Monday, 18 houses had been requested to host homestayers.The homestay program runs until March 31, encompassing the Olympics and Paralympics period.  (Home

Hours before the opening ceremony of PyeongChang Winter Games last Friday, President Moon Jae-in, at the dinner reception, expressed his hopes that the Olympics will play a part in bringing peace to the ever-turbulent Korean Peninsula.“You will all witness fair and beautiful competition, and be at the center of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” he said at the ice-breaking ceremony to the guests, which included IOC chief Thomas Bach, North Korea’s nominal head of state Kim Young-nam and Secretary-G

　Eleven gold medals (five for men, five for women, one mixed) are on offer in biathlon.　Biathlon is a sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, two events that are very different from each other. Athletes strap the guns on their backs, ski for a certain distance, and then stop to shoot at a designated target. For the shooting, there are two types of the shooting positions. One of these is shooting while lying face down, and the other is shooting while standing up. The final ra

Olympic volunteers talk about what it felt like to stand in the center of the dazzling opening show

North Korean art troupe Samjiyon Orchestra’s Seoul performance was, in many ways, a carefully orchestrated spectacle of today’s ever-dramatic inter-Korean politics, featuring the Olympics, the North’s female performers and, most importantly, K-pop.　One of the highlights of the performance, which took place at the National Theater of Korea on Sunday, was inarguably the surprise appearance of K-pop star Seohyun. The 26-year-old is a member of Girls’ Generation, one of the most popular South Korean

“We saw the potential we had in Sochi but didn’t capitalize on it. This time we really want to nail it into the coffin and win this thing.”

US snowboard sensation Chloe Kim made a dominant Winter Games debut in her parents' land as she reached the finals in the women's halfpipe as the top qualifier.Born to Korean immigrants in the United States, Kim scored 95.50 points in her second qualifying run and claimed the top position among 24 halfpipe competitors at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics at Phoenix Snow Park in PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul. She had 91.50 in her first qualifying run. She was the only rider who scored m

PYEONGCHANG -- Even though his daughter is considered the top freestyle snowboarder in the world, Kim Jong-jin, father of US athlete Chloe Kim, said Monday that watching his daughter's performance at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was nerve-wracking.Kim Jong-jin was with his wife, two other daughters and Chloe's aunt at Phoenix Snow Park in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, to see Chloe's Winter Olympics debut in the women's half-pipe event."At first, I didn't really think about t

Gangneung, the sub-host city of the PyeongChang Winter Games, is facing an unforeseen boom in its local coffee scene.This year, Gangneung’s annual coffee festival takes place during the Winter Olympic Games, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 25 under the name, “2018 Gangneung World Winter Coffee Festival: JazzPresso.”On the first weekend after the Olympic Games kicked off, many foreign visitors could be seen at Anmok Beach, which is known for having cafes line the beach. Visitors to Gangneung spend time on Gy

International sports journalists and athletes face challenges amid PyeongChang’s bitter cold

The much-anticipated opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was finally revealed to the world on Friday. Global media scampered to comment on the ceremony’s prominent points, which included the use of drones to create the Olympic flag mid-air and a creepy yet intriguing bird puppet with a human face. The following are three additional pieces of trivia about some of the ceremony’s other highlights.   The PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony took place last Friday. (Yonhap)1.

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- In sports, coaches all have different ways of motivating their players and helping them stay focused on the task at hand.Jim Paek, head coach of the South Korean men's hockey team at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, faces a particularly tall task. None of his 25 players has played in the Olympics before, and he understands that first-game jitters will be inevitable.When South Korea takes on the Czech Republic on Thursday for its Olympic debut, Paek will try to tell