South Korean athletes who will compete at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics have vowed to do their best to live up to expectations for the host country. 

They made the pledge Wednesday during the launching ceremony for Team Korea held by the Korea Sports and Olympics Committee in Seoul. 

Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon attended the event to encourage the athletes, and expressed hoped that PyeongChang will be an unforgettable Olympics for them. 

Around six-thousand-500 athletes from more than 90 countries are expected to participate in the Winter Games, which will kick off on February ninth for a 17-day run. It's expected to be the biggest Winter Olympics ever in terms of the size of the participant countries. The 2014 Sochi Winter Games brought together 88 countries. 

As host country, South Korea is aiming to clinch 20 medals, including eight golds, and a fourth-place finish.