South Korea’s Lim Hyo-jun on Saturday won the nation’s first gold medal in the men’s 1,500-meter short track speedskating event, bringing an auspicious start for the country that aims for a medal sweep at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.Lim crossed the finish line in an Olympic record time of 2:10.485 at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, a subhost city for the Winter Games. Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands took the silver medal and Semen Elistratov of Olympic Athletes from Russia

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- Alibaba Group Holdings, the official cloud services and e-commerce partner for the Olympics until 2028, has opened a new cloud technology showcase space at the Gangneung Olympic Park.　The PyeongChang Winter Games is the first Olympic Games for Alibaba to act as an official sponsor and promote its cloud vision for the international sporting event.The Alibaba cloud technology showcase is an interactive space that shows athletes, spectators and Olympic organizers how

　Skeleton competitors ride a small lightweight sled head first down an ice course while lying flat on their stomachs. The sport was once considered too dangerous for the Olympics. Two gold medals are on offer, for men’s and women’s singles. Unlike the luge, there are no doubles or team events. 　Skeleton was reintroduced to the Olympic program for the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, with a woman’s event added. Sliders speed down ice tracks 1,200 to 1,500 meters long.

Olympic enthusiasts talk about why they trade pins

K-pop boy group EXO and rapper CL of now-defunct K-pop girl group 2NE1 will grace the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.The two global K-pop acts confirmed Wednesday that they will perform at the closing ceremony that will take place at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. local time. (YG Entertainment, S.M. Entertainment)Dubbed “the biggest boyband in the world,” eight-piece boy band EXO has been on a winning streak since its debut in 2011. The group’s “Th

Mask used during unified Koreas’ ice hockey game stirs controversy

The much-awaited Olympic debut of Korean women’s ice hockey team took place on Saturday night.The team, which is the first in Olympic history to have athletes from both Koreas, lost 8-0 to Switzerland.Here is what’s being talked about the historic match on social media, including the North Korean cheerleaders, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, among others.“Hats off to her”“Hats off to her” Swiss goalie @schellingf gave a shout out to Team Korea goalie So Jung Shin, who made 44 saves on 52 sho

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games is now well into its second day. Here is what’s trending in South Korea and abroad right now.　Kim Young-nam, (top row, left) the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, tears up while watching athletes from South Korea and North Korea march under the Korea Unification Flag during the 2018 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony at PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Friday. To the right of Kim Young-nam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister and South Korean President Moon Jae-in watched the game

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- Lim Hyo-jun secured South Korea’s first medal of the PyeongChang Olympics on Saturday with gold in men’s short track speedskating.Lim won the race in 2 minutes and 10.485 seconds, a new games record, in the final on the men’s 1,500 meters at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Lim Hyo-jun wins gold (Yonhap)Fellow South Korean and world No. 1 Hwang Dae-heon fell while in third with two laps to go, and did not finish.Earlier in the day Choi Min-je

South Korea won its heat in the women's 3,000-meter short track speedskating relay at the PyeongChang Olympics on Saturday, despite a fall early on.Sim Suk-hee, Choi Min-jeong, Kim Ye-jin and Lee Yu-bin skated to a new Olympic record 4minutes and 6.387 seconds in heat 1 of the competition at the Gangneung Ice Arena.South Korean short track speedskater Lee Yu-bin (left) tags in teammate Choi Min-jeong during heat 1 of the women`s 3,000-meter relay at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Saturday. (Yonhap)L

South Korea's teenager Choi Min-jeong lost the silver medal in the women's 500 meter short track speed skating event on a penalty on Tuesday at the ongoing PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Choi Min-jeong (Yonhap)In the finals of the event, held at the Gangneung Ice Arena, the world No. 1 crossed the finish line a short distance after Arianna Fontana of Italy.   But the judges assessed a penalty to Choi, citing impeding.   Due to Choi's elimination, Yara van Kerkhof of the Netherlands and Kim Boutin o

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- It seems like the PyeongChang Winter Games has a new, unofficial mascot: a human-faced bird named Inmyeonjo. The Inmyeonjo stages a performance at the PyeongChang Olympics opening ceremony at PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Friday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald) The bird, which appears in tomb paintings from Korea’s ancient kingdom of Goguryeo, was featured during the opening

Some 100 North Korean cheerleaders sang in unison for the Korean short track speedskaters competing in the men‘s short track at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Saturday. The all-women squad’s collective voice echoed the arena, stealing some of the limelight from the athletes on the ice. Members of the crowd joined in some of the songs and a mexican wave the group started.The squad also chanted “We are,“ motioning towards the people holding the South Korean flag to return the chant with ”One,“ complet

One of the most talked about things about Friday’s opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games is undoubtedly Gangnam Style -- South Korean singer Psy’s song that became a mega-hit worldwide when it was released back in 2012. 　The catchy K-pop track, which features and is inspired by a lifestyle associated with the wealthy Seoul district in the title, was played as some of the Olympic teams, including the US delegation, marched into the stadium during the ceremony. 　The use of the song has receive