North, South athletes display joint march at Olympics ceremony

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The 2018 Olympic Winter Games started in PyeongChang on Friday with an opening ceremony themed around peace and future.

The two-hour ceremony was highlighted by a historic joint march by athletes from the two Koreas.

President Moon Jae-in and senior officials from the North waved as athletes entered behind the blue-and-white Korean unification flag.

The Unified Korea delegation entered behind the blue-and-white Korean unification flag. /VCG Photo

This was the fourth joint march by the two sides. The South and the North last marched together at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. They also made the symbolic gestures at the opening of the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in Sydney and Athens.

Later, two players from the joint Korean women's hockey team carried the Olympic flame together.

Park Jong-ah from the South and Jong Su Hyon from the North held the torch together and ran up several steps to the Olympic cauldron before handing the flame over to the lighter, former Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na.

Park Jong-ah from the South and Jong Su Hyon from the North handed the flame over to the lighter Kim Yu-na. /VCG Photo

Last month, Pyongyang agreed to attend its first Olympics in the South. It also sent a high-level official delegation including Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong Un and the country's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul is using the Games to break the ice with the DPRK. Moon said he wants to use the Olympic spirit to pave the way for talks over the DPRK's nuclear and missile program.

Speaking at the venue, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach hailed the joint effort made by the two sides, and said the gesture inspired people to live together in peace and harmony despite the differences.

The DPRK has sent a delegation of more than 400, including 229 cheerleaders, 22 athletes, 140 artists, 26 demonstrators of Taekwondo and 22 government delegates.

A joint women’s ice hockey team will represent the two countries in the Winter Olympics.

This year’s Winter Games is also the largest ever sporting event in terms of participation, with a registered 2,920 athletes from 92 nations and regions.

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