Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympics Committee, said Monday he wishes athletes from his country to "do their best" at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics."I haven't had the opportunity to meet with the North Korean athletes. I will tell them to do their best," Chang said at the cafeteria of the PyeongChang Olympic Village, the main athletes' village of the first Winter Games in South Korea. Chang Ung (Yonhap)Chang, a former basketball player, was participating in a V

Faizul Hazly, Malaysian local food company Mamee’s executive chef, said he “will ensure to prepare around 20 halal meals that meet the international standard” for Muslim delegates from around the world, the chef said in an interview with The Herald Business.  Malaysian local food company Mamee’s executive chef Faizul Hazly displays halal foods at the headquarters of Shinsegae Food in Seoul on Friday. The Herald BusinessBased at the catering venue of both Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games slate

At every Olympic Game, there is a unique mascot which bolsters Olympic spirit while promoting the culture and values of the event’s host city and country.　And in South Korea, a white tiger named Soohorang and an Asiatic black bear named Bandabi will each be representing the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games set to kick off in PyeongChang this week. There is a rich symbolism and culture behind the two animals, which are closely associated with Korean traditional folklore and mythology. Bandabi

The PyeongChang Olympics will set a record for most condoms distributed during the Winter Games.According to the PyeongChang Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Thursday, about 110,000 condoms will be doled out at the Olympic Village and venues. With 2,925 men and women set to participate, it averages out to nearly 38 condoms per athlete over the two-week period, although they will also be accessible to Olympic staff.The Korean Association for AIDS Prevention supplied 10,00

Both local and global media predict that PyeongChang could be the coldest Winter Olympics witnessed in recent decades. The northeastern Gangwon Province, where Pyeongchang county is located, is generally considered the coldest region in South Korea. This year is seeing a particularly cold winter, with ice sheets in rivers and lakes freezing some 25 centimeters thicker on average than last year, according to reports.The following are several tips for braving the cold and ingenious heat-trapping i

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- Members of the joint Korean women's hockey team will stay in separate apartment buildings inside their athletes' village during the PyeongChang Winter Games.The joint team played its much-anticipated first match against Sweden in an exhibition game on Sunday in Incheon, just west of Seoul. After dropping the game 3-1, the team traveled more than 230 kilometers east to Gangneung, a sub-host city which will stage all ice events, and checked in to Gangneung Olympic Villa

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics are just around the corner, with opening ceremonies kicking off Friday.For those who have never been to the Gangwon Province, where the Olympic and Paralympic Games are to take place, the easiest way to get to the region will be via KTX trains.Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeo Gyeonggang Line KTX, the bullet train to Gangwon Province, launched its service on Dec. 22, 2017. The line was built specifically for the Olympics, and cuts down travel time fr

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- It was "Super Bowl Monday" here in PyeongChang on the first day of the working week.On a frigid morning in the mountains in the eastern part of South Korea on Monday, fans of American football got to watch the sport's biggest annual event in the comfort of the PyeongChang press center -- with some free snacks to boot.If you were in PyeongChang to cover the 2018 Winter Olympics or if you were working behind the scenes to organize the event, and you were desperate to ca

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will give its best efforts in cooperation with experts from around the world to protect athletes from harassment and abuse at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, its leader on athlete safeguarding programs said Sunday.Susan Greinig, the IOC Safeguarding Officer, emphasized that the IOC is trying to find solutions to harassment and abuse toward athletes. She said this has been the IOC's work since 2004."The fact that sport is a microcosm of society, this (ha

The historic joint Korean women's hockey team made its much-anticipated debut against Sweden on Sunday, with 18 South Koreans joined by four North Koreans in their only tuneup game before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.None of those four players -- forwards Jong Su-hyon, Ryo Song-hui and Kim Un-hyang, and defenseman Hwang Chung-gum -- made much of an impact, as Sweden prevailed 3-1 at Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon, just west of Seoul. Joint team plays at Seonhak International Ice Ri

South Korean speed skater Noh Seon-yeong, who almost missed her spot in the 2018 Winter Games in late January due to an apparent mix-up by the nation's skating union, started her warmup for the competition on Sunday."It was a challenging journey towards this moment. Therefore, I just wish to perform well," Noh told reporters after training at the Gangneung Oval in the sub-host city of Gangneung, which will host ice events. (Yonhap)"I want to try my best within my capabilities without any regrets

South Korea's figure skating duo of Kim Kyu-eun and Kam Kang-chan may share the ice with their North Korean counterparts Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik in an official practice session for the upcoming 2018 PyeogChang Winter Olympic Games, officials said Sunday."The pairs teams from South Korea and North Korea are sorted into group C for Monday's practice sessions," an official from the organizing committee for the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Olympics said."They will be on the ice together at Gangneung Ice

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said Sunday South Korean organizers have done extraordinary work in preparing for the Winter Olympics.At a press conference in PyeongChang, Bach also expressed his regret that the Court of Arbitration of Sport's (CAS) recent decision lifted Olympic bans on 28 Russian athletes involved in a state-sponsored doping scandal."There are details to be done, but overall the state of preparations is really extraordinary," Bach said during his pr

A sports photo exhibition highlighting Korea’s Olympic history opens Monday in Gangneung to celebrate the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, which kick off a 17-day run Friday. The exhibition, to be held at Gangneung City Hall until Feb. 27, spotlights memorable moments in the history of Korean sports and the Olympic movement. There will 380 photographs displayed by Kim Min-jae, a veteran sports photographer who covered numerous Korean and international sporting events for nearly four decades. Veter

Four North Koreans will play in the first game for the joint women's hockey team on Sunday.Twelve North Korean players have been added to the 23-deep South Korean squad to create an historic joint Korean hockey team for the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics. With South Korea's bench boss Sarah Murray in charge, the joint team is set to play Sweden for its inaugural game at Seonhak International Ice Rink in Incheon, just west of Seoul.Of the 35 players, only 22 -- 20 skaters and two goaltender