Kim Yu-na, the only figure-skating gold medalist of South Korea, took the white-and-gold Olympic torch on the first leg of its journey to PyeongChang on Tuesday. (Yonhap)The Olympic flame handover ceremony took place at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece. (Yonhap)Kim, an ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, lifted the torch at the ceremony. (Yonhap)The flame then traveled to Korea by air, landing at Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning. (Yonhap) (Yonhap)By Im Eun-by

INCHEON -- Some of the most visible athletes and celebrities from host nation South Korea will bear the torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.The Olympic flame was lit last week in Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, and arrived in the South Korea on Wednesday. The 2,018-kilometer relay that will cover the nation then commenced.Figure skating prospect You Young has the honor of being the first torchbearer at home. She's best known for becoming the youngest national singles champion

INCHEON -- The Olympic flame for the first Winter Games to take place in South Korea arrived in the host country Wednesday, as the countdown to the quadrennial competition reached 100 days.A 16-member South Korean delegation arrived at Incheon International Airport with the flame after a handover ceremony in Athens, bringing an Olympic torch home for the first time since the Seoul Summer Olympics in 1988.The flame for PyeongChang was lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, on Oct. 24 and w

ATHENS -- Artemis Ignatiou, the Greek choreographer of the lighting and handover ceremony of the Olympic flame for PyeongChang 2018, said Tuesday that watching the sacred fire going to South Korea gives her a special feeling. Ignatiou first participated in the Olympic ceremonies in 1988 when she served as one of the priestesses for the ceremonies for the Summer Olympics in Seoul. Now she is the orchestrator of the ritual performances for the first Winter Games in South Korea. "I was the one who

Hanwha Group, the South Korean conglomerate that made the Olympic torch for the upcoming Winter Games, will put itself in the forefront in promoting the event by tracking the flame as it travels through the country starting Wednesday, company officials said.The conglomerate that made the torch for the 1988 Seoul Summer Games was again tapped to make the torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics that opens in February.Company officials said Hanwha made 9,640 torches and delivered them to the

The Olympic flame was handed over to the South Korean organizers of the PyeongChang Winter Games at a ceremony here Tuesday.   Spyros Capralos, who leads the Hellenic Olympic Committee, passed the flame to Lee Hee-beom, president of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG), at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Some thousands of guests, including Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos, were in attendance to watch the Olympic flame handover ceremo

South Korean athletes on Tuesday reaffirmed their determination to deliver a record-setting performance at next year's Winter Olympics at home.The countdown to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will reach 100 days Wednesday, and the national team media day at the National Training Center in Seoul on Tuesday provided an opportunity for the delegation leaders and medal hopefuls to talk about their preparations and goals.PyeongChang 2018 will be the first Winter Olympics to take place in South K

A special tour pass exclusively designed for foreigners visiting South Korea during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics early next year will be available for purchase starting this week, the Seoul city government said Tuesday. Discover Seoul Pass offers discounts of up to 50 percent at some 95 tourist destinations in the capital and the eastern province of Gangwon where the event is due to be held in February, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The tourist card gives free entrance to 21

South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles on Tuesday named a former franchise star as their new manager.The Korea Baseball Organization club said Han Yong-duk will take over as manager on a three-year contract worth 1.2 billion won ($1.07 million), including a signing bonus of 300 million won. Han had been the bench coach for the Doosan Bears since 2015.The Eagles missed the postseason for the 10th consecutive season in 2017, finishing eighth among 10 clubs with 61 wins, 81 losses and two ties. 

The Kia Tigers' 2017 Korea Baseball Organization championship was fueled in part by a combination of aggressive free agent signings and smart trades.They ended their eight-year championship drought on Monday by defeating the Doosan Bears 7-6 in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.They finished first in the regular season with a record of 87-56-1 (wins-losses-ties), and advanced directly to the Korean Series. Following a three-week layoff, they lost the series opener last Wedne

Kia Tigers' left-handed ace Yang Hyeon-jong was voted the most valuable player of the Korean Series on Monday.Yang finished off the Tigers' 7-6 victory over the Doosan Bears in clinching Game 5 of the Korea Baseball Organization championship series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. After throwing a complete game shutout in the 1-0 victory in Game 2, Yang tossed a scoreless ninth on Monday for the save.He earned 48 out of 74 votes from the media for the honors, after throwing 10 shutout innings in two

The Kia Tigers are the champions of South Korean baseball in 2017.The Tigers defeated the Doosan Bears 7-6 on Monday to take the Korean Series in five games, collecting their first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) championship since 2009 and their 11th overall.Kia Tigers celebrate their winning of the Korean Series title after defeating Doosan Bears on Monday. (Yonhap)The Tigers, based in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, are now undefeated in 11 Korean Series appearances.The Tigers lost

Some of the usual suspects made the South Korean men's football team Monday for a pair of friendly matches next month.Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min and Swansea City's Ki Sung-yeung were among 23 players on head coach Shin Tae-yong's team. The 62nd-ranked South Korea will host No. 13 Colombia at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Four days later, South Korea will take on 38th-ranked Serbia at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 410 kilometers southeast of the capital

The Kia Tigers beat the Doosan Bears 5-1 on Sunday to reach the cusp of their first Korea Baseball Organization title in eight years.Roger Bernadina had three hits and knocked in two runs, and starter Im Gi-yeong tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings in his postseason debut as the Tigers claimed Game 4 of the Korean Series at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. The Tigers now lead the best-of-seven series three games to one.Game 5, the first elimination game of the series, is back at Jamsil Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Mon

ATHENS -- The South Korean organizers have unveiled a security lamp that will carry the flame for the PyeongChang Olympics when they fly back home from Greece later this week.The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games introduced the safety lantern Sunday that will carry the Olympic flame, which was lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, late Tuesday. The lantern will be used after the South Korean delegation receives the flame at the handover cerem