The wait is almost over-- the 23rd Winter Olympics will officially kick off its three-week
run in PyeongChang,... with the Opening Ceremony set to start ten hours from now,... at 8 p.m.
Korea time,... 6 a.m. eastern time in the U.S. and 11 a.m. in London.
It's the second time the Olympic cauldron will be lit in South Korea, and the first
time in 30 years that the country will host the global sporting event since the 1988 Seoul
Olympics.
For more, let's connect to our Lee Ji-won who is standing by at the PyeongChang Olympic
Plaza.
Ji-won Tell us what we can expect from tonight's opening ceremony...
Mark, the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympics had the unforgettable moment of a
young South Korean boy rolling a hoop across the grass infield of the Olympic Stadium,...
and today's opening ceremony will be told based on the journey of five children searching
for answers to 'peace,'... featuring Korean legends and history as well as a flurry of
performances that will showcase South Korea's rich culture.
Under the theme 'Peace in motion', the two hour ceremony will see all 92 participating
nations walk into the stadium with their national flags held high.
As the host country, South Korea will march in last,... but together with the delegates
from North Korea, under the Unification flag.
The Korean folk song Arirang will be played when they make their entrance.
And as it has always been for the previous joint-entrances, there will be two torch bearers,
one from each side.
Gold medal hopeful, bobsledder Won Yun-jong will represent the South, but the bearer for
the North has not yet been announced.
The ceremony will also have a large VIP audience,... with President Moon Jae-in, U.S. Vice President
Mike Pence, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in attendance, as well as the North Korean
leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong.
Now Ji-won, the highlight of the Opening Ceremony is when the Olympic cauldron is lit with the
Olympic torch.
Could you tell us more about how that historic moment will take place and how the Olympic
torch relay is progressing so far.
Mark, the ignition of the Olympic cauldron is still very much being kept under wraps.
But even as we speak, the Olympic torch is being carried around Pyeongchang by its final
bearers,.. including IOC President Thomas Bach.
And now with the relay to finish in just a few hours, let me give you a wrap up of the
101 days of the Olympic torch relay.
From the Olympic birthplace of Greece,... all the way to the host city of Pyeongchang,
South Korea.
75-hundred torch bearers, have traveled 2018-kilometers,... over the course of 101 days.
Peace and the future were big themes of this Winter Olympics torch relay-- which featured
the first-ever robot torchbearers,... and even reached the heavily fortified demilitarized
zone, separating the two Koreas.
The light of the Olympic Games has also been to 17 cities and provinces in South Korea,...
under the theme of "Let Everyone Shine."
With the Opening Ceremony of the 23rd Winter Olympics just hours away,... the question
is,... who will be the one to light the Olympic cauldron at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium,
signifying the start of the Winter Games?
The word is,... the legendary star figure skater Kim Yuna,... could be the final torch
bearer,.. completing the ceremonial relay.
The Olympic gold medalist was also the one to bring the Olympic flame from Greece to
South Korea.
But there could be a surprise.
The two Koreas have a record of lighting up the torch together.
They did so at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan,... when a South Korean Olympic judo gold medalist
and North Korean judo heroine ignited the cauldron in unison.
Whoever it may be,... walking through the stadium with that torch,... we will be watching
that moment of ignition carefully at the Opening Ceremony tonight.
Yes, you're right Ji-won.
Well, one thing that's been a concern is the weather because it has been extremely cold
here even by Korean winter standards.
How's the weather looking today and more importantly tonight...
Mark, it's expected to be mostly cloudy during the Opening Ceremony,... and the Korea Meteorological
Administration forecasts the temperature to be on par, with or even slightly above, the
seasonal average.
The temperature at the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza between 7 and 10 past 10 on the evening
of the Opening Ceremony is forecast to range between minus two and minus five degrees Celsius.
But with the wind chill factor, the temperature is likely to feel closer to minus 10 degrees.
According to our forecast the temperature will not be a problem for the opening ceremony."
Despite that forecast, it's still going to be pretty cold if you are sitting still for
hours on end.
The organizing committee has prepared a winter gear pack, including blankets and raincoats,
for the spectators,... but anyone coming to watch the ceremony will need to bundle up,
wear plenty of layers and certainly bring a hat, scarf and gloves.
That's all from me for now, but I'll be back with more later.
Back to you Mark.