Harmony, convergence themes of Olympics opening

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The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic games get underway on February 9th with an opening ceremony dedicated to "harmony and convergence," organizers announced on Tuesday.

"We found harmony as one of the main themes of the ceremonies as the word represents the nature of traditional Korean culture," said Executive Creative Director of the Olympic ceremonies, Song Seung-whan.

Song Seung-whan and Lee Hee-beom at the media conference in PyeongChang /Yonhap Photo

"Also, the word convergence defines modern Korean culture well. It is true the modern culture of Korea has been affected by cultures of the world, but it is not subordinate to them. Rather...it has converged with them to create its own culture,” he added.

Passion and peace are also expressed with these two themes.

"Many people in the world say Koreans are passionate. Despite many national crises, Koreans have overcome hardships with their passion. I would like to infuse that passion into the ceremonies," Song said.

"And the most important value we want to deliver through the ceremonies is peace. With North Korea's participation in PyeongChang, there have been a lot of expectations for peace Olympics. We would like to deliver the message of peace through the ceremonies."

The Olympic Plaza in PyeongChang /Yonhap Photo‍

Taking place at the Olympic Stadium, the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games will depict the stories of five children living in Gangwon Province with the theme of “peace in motion,” according to media reports.

Around 43,000 people are expected to attend the opening ceremony for the first Winter Olympics to take place in South Korea.

Organizers will use 600 shuttle buses to transport them to the Olympic Stadium 180 kilometers east of the capital Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported.