News
- PyeongChang Winter Olympics Opens for 17 Days of Competition
- The PyeongChang Winter Olympics opened Friday evening for a 17-day run at the county in South Korea's Gangwon Province. More than 29-hundred athletes from 92 countries are taking part in the world's biggest winter sports event. The 23rd Winter Olympics will run until February 25th under the slogan "Passion. Connected." It's the second Olympics that South Korea has hosted since the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games 30 years ago and also the third-ever Winter Games held in Asia. The South and North Korean teams were 91st, last to enter the Olympic Stadium under a unified Korean Peninsula flag to thunderous applause from 35-thousand spectators. It was carried by South Korean male bobsleigh athlete Won Yun-jong and North Korean women’s ice hockey player Hwang Chung-gum. It was the two nations’ tenth joint march at an international sporting event since they walked together during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. They marched together most recently in 2007 at the Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China. The two Koreas have also fielded a single women’s ice hockey team, a first in Olympic history. The crowning moment of the opening ceremony came when Kim Yuna, the figure skating gold medalist in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, lit the Olympic cauldron. Another significant feat for Korea is that it has hosted not only the summer and winter games but also the World Cup and the World Athletics Championships, which are considered the top four global sports festivals. Only four other countries have achieved this milestone: France, Germany, Italy and Japan. A total of 102 gold medals are up for grabs in 15 separate categories. Team Korea aims to garner eight golds, four silvers and eight bronzes to finish in the top four in the overall medal tally.
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2018-02-09
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- Moon Suggests S. Korea, Japan Squarely Look at History
- President Moon Jae-in says he hopes South Korea and Japan will be sincere friends that understand each other well. Moon made the remark Friday during a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. They held talks at the Yongpyeong Ski Resort in Pyeongchang ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. The South Korean president also expressed hope the two countries will look squarely at their shared history and seek future-oriented bilateral cooperation by pooling their wisdom and strength. To that end, Moon said he looks forward to their strengthening top-level communications with each other by restoring and improving “shuttle diplomacy.” It was the third summit between the two leaders following the first one on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Germany last July, and on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia in September.
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2018-02-09
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- Moon Meets with N. Korea's Ceremonial Head of State
- President Moon Jae-in has met with North Korea’s visiting ceremonial head of state who is in the South for the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Moon held a reception ceremony Friday afternoon at the Yongpyeong Resort in Gangwon Province, for the top representatives of countries visiting South Korea to celebrate its hosting of the Games. Among them was Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, who shook hands with Moon and posed with him for a photo. Accompanied by three other top North Korean officials, Kim arrived in the South earlier in the day from Pyongyang on a private plane. After arriving at Incheon International Airport, they traveled to the PyeongChang Games venue by KTX high-speed train. Their three-day visit also includes a luncheon meeting with Moon at the presidential office in Seoul on Saturday. Other senior North Korean representatives in the 22-member delegation includes Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who holds the title of deputy director of the propaganda department of the Workers' Party. Choe Hwi, chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee also traveled with them as well as Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.
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2018-02-09
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- Finance Minister: N. Korea's Olympic Participation to Bring Economic Benefit
- Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon says North Korea’s participation in the PyeongChang Olympics will create additional economic benefits for the South on top of the gains it will reap from hosting the international sporting event. He made the remark before the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee on Friday where he was asked whether the North’s presence at the Games makes any difference for the South economically. The minister said the peaceful mood between the two Koreas will help stabilize the South Korean economy and boost its credibility across the world, and added that he expects it will have a considerable impact on the country. In regards to whether the government has an emergency plan in place to deal with the possibility of General Motors closing down its Korean factories, the minister said it is not easy to speculate on how the situation will develop, but the government is preparing for various scenarios. He added the Finance Ministry will coordinate with the Trade, Industry and Energy Ministry if the problem concerning GM Korea gets serious.
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2018-02-09
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- S. Korea’s Mixed Doubles Curling Team Thrash the US
- South Korea’s mixed doubles curling team thrashed the U.S. side on Friday afternoon to give themselves hope of qualifying for the finals of the event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The South Korean pair of Jang Hye-ji and Lee Ki-jeong beat American brother-sister duo Becca and Matt Hamilton 9-1 in their fourth round robin match at the Gangneung Curling Center. The American team had no answer to South Korea’s dominant performance, with Jang and Lee scoring consistently throughout the match. In the afternoon session’s other games, Canada beat Finland 8-2 and Olympic Athletes from Russia(OAR) narrowly beat China 6-5. Switzerland fell to their first defeat of the competition, as they lost 6-5 against Norway. Following the completion of the second day’s matches, Canada, Norway, Switzerland and OAR lie in joint-first place. South Korea now sit in fifth, with the top four ranked countries advancing to the final stages of the competition.
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2018-02-09
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- N. Korean Women's Ice Hockey Player to Jointly Carry Flag for 2 Koreas
- A North Korean women’s ice hockey player will be a joint flag bearer of the unified Korean team that will march under a single flag during the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Friday. The International Olympic Committee(IOC) announced Friday that Hwang Chung-gum from the North will carry the unified flag along with South Korean male bobsleigh athlete, Won Yun-jong, during the ceremony set to be held at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium later in the day. The two Koreas will march together following all other countries participating in the first Winter Games to be held in the South. A total of 92 countries are set to compete in the 17-day sporting event. It will be the two nation's eleventh joint march at an international sporting event since they walked together during the opening ceremony of the Sydney Summer Olympics in 2000. They walked together most recently in 2007, at the Asian Winter Games in Changchun, China.
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2018-02-09
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- N. Korean Art Troupe to Head to Seoul for Another Performance
- A North Korean art troupe will head to Seoul on Saturday for its remaining performance in the South after spending one more night on a North Korean ferry. An official of Seoul’s Unification Ministry said on Friday that the 140-member Samjiyon Orchestra visiting to celebrate the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will stay on the Mangyongbong-92 ferry for the rest of the day. The official added they then will travel to Seoul on Saturday morning for a rehearsal to be held later in the day at the venue where they will perform on Sunday. However, North Korean technicians accompanying the troupe left for Seoul on Friday morning to set up the stage in advance. Following their first performance in Gangneung, the sub-host city of the Olympics, on Thursday, the troupe is scheduled to perform at the National Theater of Korea Sunday evening before returning to the North the next day. It remains unknown how the troupe will return to the North. The North Korean ferry, which has been anchored at the eastern South Korean port of Mukho since arriving in the South on Tuesday, will reportedly return to the North when the troupe departs for Seoul, while the performers plan to stay at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul.
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2018-02-09
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- Canada Leads After Day 1 of Figure Skating Team Event
- Anchor: Canada is sitting in first place of the figure skating team event following the completion of day one’s action at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. It was a disappointing day for Team Korea, who finished ninth in the rankings. Our Laurence Taylor has more. Report: Canada got off to a strong start in the figure skating team event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics Friday, but it proved to be a day to forget for Team Korea. The Canadian skaters performed well in both the men’s and pairs’ short programs held at Gangneung Ice Arena to finish day one of the team event in first place. Canada’s Patrick Chan, who claimed a silver medal in the men’s singles at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, finished in third place in the men’s short program with a score of 81-point-66. Japanese figure skater Shoma Uno performed a near-perfect routine to take first place, followed by Alexei Bychenko of Israel. In the pairs’ short program later Friday, Canadian duo Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford came in second place with a score of 76-point-57. Russian skaters Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov took first place, leaving the Canadian team sitting top of the rankings after two events. South Korea has a lot of work to do to catch up with their rivals as they lie in ninth in the overall rankings. Teenage star Cha Jun-hwan came in sixth out of the ten competing skaters in the men’s short program, with a season’s best tally of 77-point-70 points. Meanwhile, the South Korean pair of Kim Kyu-eun and Kam Kang-chan finished last in the pairs’ short program. Their score of 52-point-10 was well below the winning score of 80-point-92 achieved by the team representing Olympic Athletes from Russia. The team event, which continues on Sunday, sees competitors from the world's top ten figure skating nations compete in all four of the sport's disciplines, which are the men's and women's singles, pair skating and ice dancing. The top five nations then advance to the free program. Laurence Taylor, KBS World Radio News.
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2018-02-09
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- OAR 1st in Pairs Figure Skating Team Event, Canada Top Overall
- Russian skaters Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov claimed first place in the pairs short program of the team figure skating event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Friday. The pair, representing Olympic Athletes from Russia(OAR), were the final skaters to take to the ice at the Gangneung Ice Arena but they put on a near-flawless performance to take first place with a score of 80-point-92. Canadian duo Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford came in second, while the German team took the third spot. The South Korean pair of Kim Kyu-eun and Kam Kang-chan finished last. Earlier Friday, Japan’s Shoma Uno topped the rankings of the men’s single skating short program, with Alexei Bychenko of Israel in second. Following the completion of day one of the team event, Team Canada is in the lead followed by the United States and Japan.
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2018-02-09
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- N. Korea's High Level Delegation Begins Visit to S. Korea
- Anchor: North Korea’s high level delegation is now in South Korea for the PyeongChang Olympics opening ceremony. The visit is drawing keen attention and spurring speculations about how inter-Korean ties will advance. Bae Joo-yon has the details. Report: After their first encounter at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics Friday evening, President Moon Jae-in will meet Kim Yo-jong again at the top office on Saturday. Kim, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, holds the title of deputy director of the propaganda department of the Workers' Party. Quoting a number of diplomatic sources, CNN said Friday that there is a "good chance" Kim will invite Moon to visit Pyongyang "sometime this year.” On Friday afternoon Kim Yo-jong and the regime's ceremonial head of state Kim Yong-nam arrived in South Korea as part of the North's high-level delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Led by Kim Yong-nam, the 22-member delegation includes other top-ranking officials such as Choe Hwi, chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee, and Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. What is notable about the visit is that the UN Security Council granted a temporary exemption for Choe Hwi, a blacklisted North Korean official, to visit South Korea. Choe was slapped with a travel ban last June under UN Security Council Resolution 2356 which sanctioned Pyongyang for its ballistic missile tests. Following the luncheon meeting with President Moon on Saturday, the North Korean officials will return to the North on Sunday. Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.
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2018-02-09
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