Olympic flame arrives in South Korea for 2018 Winter Games
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — The Olympic flame arrived in South Korea on Wednesday where it will be passed throughout the country by thousands of torchbearers on a 100-day journey to the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
South Korean figure skating prospect You Young will kick off the 2,018-kilometre (1,253-mile) trip from Incheon on Wednesday.
Pyeongchang’s organizers have designated 7,500 torchbearers to carry the Olympic flame, which arrived at the Incheon International Airport after a handover ceremony in Athens on Tuesday. Retired Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, who is one of the country’s most popular sports personalities, joined South Korean Prime Minster Lee Nak-yon in igniting the flame to a ceremonial cauldron at the airport to mark the start of the Olympic torch relay.
The Olympic flame last touched the country 30 years ago when the 1988 Summer Olympics were held in the capital Seoul.