Torch bearer Lee Sun-nam, the Korean citizen who volunteered for the most hours in 2016, anywhere in the country, poses in front of Yeonmudae Post, a traditional military observation post at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hwaseon Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province, on Jan. 5.
By Kim Young Shin
Photos = PyeongChang Organizing Committee
The torch for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games began its journey in the greater capital region. On Jan. 2, it toured Bulguksa Temple and the Seokguram Grotto, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, in Gyeongju, its final destination in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. The torch was then handed to bearers in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province, on Jan. 5.
The torch left Samsung Electronics headquarters in Suwon and reached Suwon’s famous Hwaseong Fortress, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, traditional performances, such as the jangyongyeong changing of the royal guards ceremony (장용영) and the seonyurak court dance (선유락), welcomed visitors who came to celebrate the upcoming Winter Games.
The flame lit up popular tourist spots in Yongin, too, such as the Korean Folk Village, the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum, the Nam June Paik Art Center and the Everland amusement park the next day. Torch bearers on Jan. 6 included foil fencer Nam Hyun-Hee, who won silver at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, TV personality Tyler Rasch, and a blind couple who delivered the torch with the help of guide dogs.
The torch also passed along the trails at Namhansanseong Fortress in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, on Jan. 7. The torch will end its journey in southern Gyeonggi on Jan. 8 in Seongnam. From Jan. 10 to 16, the flame will travel in Incheon and Seoul.
A blind couple smiles as it carries the Olympic torch with the help of guide dogs in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province, on Jan. 6.
Para-swimmer Kwon Hyun poses with the Olympic flame inside the safety lantern as he carries it onboard a light rail train to the Everland amusement park in Yongin on Jan. 6.
Lee Man-soo, a former coach of the Chicago White Sox and a former bench coach for the SK Wyverns, demonstrates his ‘Hulk’ homerun swing with the Olympic torch, at the Namhansanseong Fortress in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, on Jan. 7.
A Namchangdong jultagi tightrope performance (남창동 줄타기) takes place at Cheongseok Park in Gwangju to celebrate the Olympic torch relay, on Jan. 7.
ysk1111@korea.kr
