Lee Hee-beom (fourth from the left), head of the organizing committee for the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games, Lee Myung-ho, president of the Korea Paralympic Committee, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, and five provincial governors light the Paralympic flame at the Seoul Olympic Park on March 3.
By Park Hye Ri, Jung Joo-ri, Hahm Hee Eun
Photos = Jeon Han
Seoul | March 3, 2018
On March 3, Paralympic torches were lit in Stoke Mandeville, U.K., the birthplace of the Paralympics, and in six regions across Korea– Seoul, Jeju, Anyang, Nonsan, Gochang and Cheongdo — to mark the start of the 2,018-km journey of the Paralympic flame.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jongwhan, Lee Hee-beom, the chief of the organizing committee for the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Games, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and other dignitaries attended the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Flame Uniting ceremony at the Seoul Olympic Park on March 3. The slogan for the ceremony was “Let everyone shine,” sending a message about humanity’s beauty and about the harmony between the disabled and the non-disabled.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jongwhan hands the Paralympic torch to the first torchbearer of the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, Professor Kong Kyung-chul, at the Seoul Olympic Park on March 3.
“We hope that people with disabilities can start life again through the PyeongChang Paralympics,” said Minister Do as he lit the Paralympic flame and delivered the torch to the first torchbearer.
The first torchbearers of the Paralympics were Kong Kyung-chul, a professor at Sogang University who developed the wearable robot WalkON for use by paraplegics, and Lee Yong-ro, a former national wheelchair tennis player.
The torch was then passed to Choi Dabin, who came in seventh in the figure skating event at the PyeongChang Winter Games, and actor Lee Dong-wook. After a tour of the Olympic park, the torch was passed amid great fanfare to Kim Yuna, the “figure skating queen” and the official lighter of the Olympic flame last month, and to Bong Hyeon-chae, a visually-impaired para cross country skier and biathlon athlete.
In total, 800 torchbearers will participate in the 2,018-km journey and use a range of barrier-free transportation services to convey the spirit of Paralympics.
Paralympic torchbearers pose for a commemorative photo during the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Flame Uniting ceremony held at the Seoul Olympic Park on March 3. From left are actor Lee Dong-wook, figure skater Choi Dabin, visually-impaired biathlon athlete Bong Hyun-chae and Kim Yuna.
hrhr@korea.kr
