What term do you want to search? Search with google</s>What is Korean sport diplomacy? Why are Russian athletes competing as neutrals? And how will Olympic first-timers Nigeria and Eritrea fare? We take a look at some of the big stories as the 2018 Winter Olympics got under way on Friday.

North and South Korea marched together under the unification flag and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shared a historic handshake with Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as the 2018 Winter Olympics opened in a spirit of reconciliation on Friday in Pyeongchang.

Click on the player above to watch our special programme on the 23rd Winter Olympics.</s>
• A man impersonating US President Donald Trump and a man impersonating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un showed up at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
• The two men caused a spectacle and were later kicked out, according to reports.
• Outside the stadium, there were anti-unification protests over North Korea's involvement in the games.



The Winter Olympics opening ceremony took a political turn on Friday when a man impersonating US President Donald Trump and a man impersonating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un crashed the party.

According to journalists in Pyeongchang for the ceremony, it's unclear what the two impersonators were doing, but they apparently made a scene.

And apparently, they got kicked out, too.

Meanwhile, according to reports, there were anti-Korean unification protests outside the stadium.

North Korea's inclusion in the Winter Olympics caught many by surprise. North Korea's involvement in the Olympics has been sparse, with their last Winter Olympics coming in 2010 in Vancouver. This year, they sent a delegation and also have a joint women's hockey team with South Korea.</s>PYEONGCHANG, South Korea >> In an extraordinary show of unexpected unity, North and South Korea sat side by side Friday night under exploding fireworks that represented peace, not destruction, as the 2018 Winter Olympics opened on a Korean Peninsula riven by generations of anger, suspicion and bloodshed.

Because of time differences, the ceremony will be televised at 5 p.m. tonight on NBC.

The sister of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, shook hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in — and appeared genuinely pleased — while they watched an elaborate show of light, sound and human performance. Minutes later came a moment stunning in its optics and its implications: the United States, represented by Vice President Mike Pence, sitting a row ahead of Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, and the North’s nominal head of state, all watching the games begin — officials from two nations that many worry have been on the brink of nuclear conflict.

Not long after, North and South Korean athletes entered Olympic Stadium together, waving flags showing a unified Korea — the long-time dream, in theory at least, of many Koreans both North and South. It was the rivals’ first joint Olympic march since 2007. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach then handed the podium to Moon, who declared the Olympics officially open.

The ceremony’s signature moment delivered another flash of unity and deft political stage-managing, too. Two athletes from the joint Koreas women’s hockey team climbed stairs to the cauldron with the Olympic torch. At the last moment, though, they handed off the flame to former Olympic champion figure skater Yuna Kim, arguably South Korea’s most famous person. She actually lit the cauldron as the home crowd roared.

Moon, in a statement, said athletes from North and South will “work together for victory.” And Bach lauded the joint march of the two Koreas as a “powerful message.”

“We are all touched by this wonderful gesture. We all join and support you in your message of peace,” Bach said.

After years of frustration, billions of dollars and a nagging national debate about their worth, the opening ceremonies took place before a world watching the moment not only for its athletic significance and global spectacle, but for clues about what the peninsula’s political future could hold.

There is a palpable excitement in this isolated, rugged mountain town, as one of the poorest, coldest and most disgruntled parts of an otherwise prosperous South Korea kicks off two weeks of winter sports, spectacle and, from the looks of things, some inter-Korean reconciliation.

After a chaotic year of nuclear war threats and nuclear and missile tests from the North, the opening ceremony proved to be an evening of striking visual moments.

The significance of Pence and the North Koreans sitting in the same box was not immediately clear, though it seemed to run counter to the mission he was supposed to undertake. He’d been dispatched from Washington for the Olympics in part, he said, to make sure the world didn’t forget that North Korea was a misbehaving and dangerous neighbor in the community of nations.

What did seem clear was that, deliberately or not, the North Korean government had managed to edge its way onto center stage during the South’s biggest global moment in years.

A huge crowd gathered in the freezing Olympics Stadium as performances displayed the sweep of Korean history and culture. The march of athletes from the world’s many nations saw them girded against a frigid Korean night with temperatures that dipped below freezing and biting winds.

Members of a delegation from North Korea, part of an Olympics partnership between the two Korean rivals, watched from high in the stadium a performance called “The Land of Peace” and as past South Korean athletes paraded a large southern flag. The North Koreans, dressed in identical garb, cheered in careful coordination.

The North has sent nearly 500 people to the Pyeongchang Games including officials, athletes, artists and cheerleaders after the Koreas agreed to a series of conciliatory gestures to mark the games. More than 2,900 athletes from 92 countries will compete here, making it the biggest Winter Olympics to date.

Pyeongchang was not supposed to share the spotlight with Pyongyang. This was not supposed to be, as some in Seoul grumble, the “Pyongyang Games,” a play on the North Korean capital’s phonetic similarity to Pyeongchang.

After two failed Olympic bids that emphasized the high-sounding notion that the games could help make peace with North Korea, Pyeongchang finally sold its successful try in 2011 on the decidedly capitalistic goal of boosting winter sports tourism in Asia.

But North Korea has a habit of not letting itself be ignored when it comes to its southern rival.

Its agents blew up a South Korean airliner ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics in an attempt to dissuade visitors; then it boycotted its rival’s Olympic debut on the world stage. A few years later, the discovery of the huge progress Pyongyang had been surreptitiously making on its nuclear programs plunged the Korean Peninsula into crisis. It has only deepened over the years as the North closes in on the ability to field an arsenal of nukes that can hit U.S. cities.

And so, with a little help from a liberal South Korean president eager to engage Pyongyang, the 2018 Pyeongchang Games open.

They do so with as much focus on the North, which has zero real medal contenders, as the South, which in the three decades since its last Olympics has built a solid winter program as it went from economic backwater and military dictatorship to Asia’s fourth-biggest economy and a bulwark of liberal democracy.

Could Pyeongchang’s initial pitch — that it could contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula — actually become reality? The opening ceremony offered at least some hints about that, and maybe more. What’s certain is that these Games, more so than any in recent memory, are about far more than sports.

Foster Klug is AP’s Seoul bureau chief and has covered the Koreas since 2005. Follow him on Twitter at @apklug.</s>PyeongChang: In an extraordinary show of unexpected unity, North and South Korea sat side by side on Friday night under exploding fireworks that represented peace, not destruction, as the 2018 Winter Olympics opened on a Korean Peninsula riven by generations of anger and suspicion.

The sister of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, shook hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in while they watched an elaborate show of light, sound and human performance. Its aim: to tell the epic story of Korea – not North, not South, but the entire land.

After years of frustration, billions of dollars and a nagging national debate about their worth, the opening ceremonies took place before a world watching the moment not only for its athletic significance and global spectacle, but for clues about what the political future of the peninsula could hold. A delegation from North Korea, dressed in identical garb, watched from an upper deck of the stadium.

For Australia, it was a late entry to the arena.

Marching in order of the Korean alphabet, the Australians were forced to wait in the wings before snowboarding gold medal hope Scotty James led the team out.

There was no dancing – as as has been his wont in recent social media posts – but he waved the flag with vigour in front of another 26 Australian athletes.

The march of athletes from the world's many nations then continued as the likes of winter giants Austria and China came out and girded themselves in the frigid Korean night.

The political intruded on the Games at several turns on Friday as South Korea put on a show for the world that's meant to display a new-found desire to cooperate with rival North Korea along with Seoul's stunning rise from poverty and war to Asian powerhouse.

A huge crowd gathered in the freezing Olympics Stadium in this isolated, mountainous corner of South Korea, as performances displayed the sweep of Korean history and culture. Members of a delegation from North Korea, part of an extraordinary Olympics partnership between the two Korean rivals, watched from high in the stadium a performance called "The Land of Peace" and as past South Korean athletes paraded a large southern flag.

After a chaotic year of nuclear war threats and nuclear and missile tests from the North, it was a striking visual moment.

There was a palpable excitement in this isolated, rugged mountain town, as one of the poorest, coldest and most disgruntled parts of an otherwise prosperous South Korea kicked off two weeks of winter sports, Olympic spectacle and, just maybe, a bit of inter-Korean reconciliation.

The North has sent nearly 500 people to the PyeongChang Games including officials, athletes, artists and cheerleaders after the Koreas agreed to a series of conciliatory gestures to mark the games. More than 2900 athletes from 92 countries will compete here, making it the biggest Winter Olympics to date.

"Everybody make some noise!" two pre-ceremony emcees shouted in English and Korean as spectators streamed into the Olympic Stadium before the ceremony.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's sister, making an unprecedented visit to South Korean soil, will now likely attend the same opening ceremony as US Vice President Mike Pence, who's vowing toughest-ever sanctions on the North. Could they meet? That and other theories have engulfed South Korean media.

And so, with a little help from a liberal South Korean president eager to engage the North Korean capital Pyongyang, the 2018 PyeongChang Games open.

They do so with as much focus on the North, which has zero real medal contenders, as the South, which in the three decades since its last Olympics has built a solid winter program as it went from economic backwater and military dictatorship to Asia's fourth-biggest economy and a bulwark of liberal democracy.

Could PyeongChang's initial pitch – that it could contribute to peace on the Korean Peninsula – actually become reality? The opening ceremony will offer at least some hints about that, and maybe more. What's certain is that these Games, more so than any in recent memory, are about far more than sports.</s>The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday it has dismissed 47 appeals from Russian athletes and coaches to participate in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which open later in the day. Scarlett Cvitanovich reports.

THE 2018 Winter Olympics have officially kicked off with the opening ceremony now underway.

Pita Taufatofua, Tonga’s oiled-up flag bearer from the Rio Games, made a return, brushing aside the frosty temperatures to again go shirtless - much to the delight of the crowd and social media.

After competing in Rio in taekwondo, Taufatofua will try his luck in cross-country skiing this time around.

He is the sole Tongan in South Korea and the first of his nation to compete at Winter and Summer Games.

Taufatofua was born in Australia but raised in Tonga.

He currently lives in Brisbane.

Earlier in the week he played down suggestions that he would be shirtless.

“I want to still be alive for my race. It’s going to be freezing, so I will be keeping nice and warm,” the 34-year-old said.

However, he didn’t disappoint his fans, waving the Tongan flag semi-clothed.

As South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife greeted VIPs in their dignitary box to watch the opening ceremony, they turned to shake hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, who arrived earlier in the day on an unprecedented visit to the South by a member of the North’s ruling Kim family.

All broke out in broad smiles.

Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, was at the opening ceremony with North Korea’s nominal head of state, 90-year-old Kim Yong Nam.

They are part of an extraordinary diplomatic push by the North aimed at using the Olympics to ease tensions with Seoul and bolster unity between the two Koreas after a year that has been marked by escalating fears of war and increasing angry rhetoric between Pyongyang and Washington.

As they shook hands, the North and South Koreans spoke briefly. It was not immediately known what they said, but all of them were smiling.

US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife were seated beside the Moons and next to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife.

His office said he did not interact with the North Koreans.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un impersonators were kicked out of the opening ceremony but not before making a call for peace.

“We get along personally, so I believe that Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, if they talked they’d probably get along. Because in my opinion, they’re pretty much the same person,” the Kim impersonator said.

“And Dennis Rodman has confirmed this and he’s met both of them personally,” he added, referring to the former NBA player who has met with Kim multiple times.

“So let’s start talking and stop with all the missiles and everything else,” the impersonator said. “We want peace, everybody wants peace, nobody wants war.”

Snowboarder Scotty James led Australia’s team out to cheers in PyeongChang overnight.

Resplendent in their silver parkas and green trousers, the 51-member team marched into the Olympic stadium in 53rd position according to the Korean alphabet.

At just 23, James is a three-time Olympian and one of our strongest medal chances.

He is the reigning world champion in his event and is a frequent medallist on the World Cup and X-Games tours.

Erin Hamlin led Team USA into the opening ceremony but one person who wasn’t there was five-time Olympian Shani Davis, who boycotted the ceremony.

Davis, who has won two gold medals and two silver medals, and is one of the only African Americans on the team, felt that he should have been the flag bearer.

In an angry tweet, Davis, took a shot at Hamlin, the holder of a single bronze medal.

“I am an American and when I won the 1000m in 2010 I became the first American to 2-peat in that event,” Davis wrote on Twitter.

He then slammed Team USA for “dishonorably” tossing a coin to decide who would have the honor of carrying the flag.

“No problem. I can wait until 2022,” he added before using the hashtag #BlackHistoryMonth2018.’

His team said he had no plans to attend the opening ceremony unless he was the flag bearer, instead deciding to focus on his race.

South Korean figure skating gold medalist Yuna Kim has ignited the Olympic cauldron for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Kim won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a silver at the 2014 Sochi Games before retiring from competition.

She remains perhaps the country’s most popular sports personality and has worked as a goodwill ambassador to promote the Pyeongchang Games.

A North Korean and South Korean from the countries’ joint hockey team also participated in the ceremony, handing off to Kim.

The opening ceremony kicked off what will be the biggest Winter Olympic Games to date with more than 2900 athletes from 92 countries competing.

The athletes started marching in the Opening Ceremony - with Greece leading the way.

The show kicked off with a fireworks display surrounding the stadium, finishing with the word “Welcome” lighting up the night sky.

The theme of the ceremony was “peace” and the story followed the adventures of five children from Gangwon province (the region where the Olympics is being held).

The children watched as a turtle ship made of gold life floated over their heads before a golden tiger appeared.

A human-operated puppet tiger entered the stage, followed by the five kids.

The white tiger is a “protector of peace”.

Hundreds of female dancers dressed in red and white took to the stage with drums, some weaving intricate patters as they go, while others sat in a circle in the centre.

They finished in the shape of the South Korean flag.

After the marching drummers left the stadium, eight former South Korean athletes entered carrying their national flag.

A choir then sang the national anthem as the flag is raised.

Tonight was one of the first — and last — time the stadium will be used.

The five-sided 35,000-seat stadium cost about $100 million to build, but its primary use is for only four events: The opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympics and Paralympics. Then it will be torn down and the site will be rebuilt with a museum and leisure facilities.

Members of the North Korean delegation sat in seats in the upper deck, cheering for the North Korean taekwondo team performing in the centre of the stadium.

North and South Korea marched in together under a united flag.

They were the last team to enter the stadium.

The entire PyeongChang Olympics could cost South Korea up to 14 trillion won ($12.9 billion).

South Korea is hosting the games for the first time since 1988, when Seoul was the home of the summer games.</s>Winter Olympics organised in South Korea’s Pyeongchang saw North Korea-South Korea script history, on Saturday, as the unified ‘All Korea’ women ice hockey team took the field against Switzerland in the most highly anticipated hockey match in Winter Olympics. Nation’s women ice hockey team was made up of players from the isolated country North Korea and Olympic host South Korea, unified, that went down in the record books of the Winter games as they played against Switzerland in their first ice hockey match. The game between Korea and Switzerland was played in the presence of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong and South Korean President Moon Jae-In. It was first ever display of hockey by the unified Korean team at the Olympics. Players from the both the countries wore white jerseys with an image of joined Korean peninsula embellished in pale blue.

However, the Korean team suffered 8-0 loss as Switzerland’s Alina Muller scoring four goals single handedly trampled Korea’s historic moment. The packed ice hockey arena was buzzing with chants of Korean pop song from the crowd. Cheering their home team in unison, crowd erupted the moment match started and each time Korean players took possession of the puck. The crowd roared and celebrated their team with kids waving Korean flags, Korean cheerleaders dressed in red track suits soared the spirits of the crowd and players. Other dignitaries to be present at the historic event was North Korea’s nominated head of the state Kim Yong Nam and International Olympic Committee President (IOC) Thomas Bach.

Earlier in the day, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-In held talks in North Korean capital Pyongyang that witnessed the first time in 10 years when Korean leaders were seen together in a meeting. It has been a months since Kim Jong Un’s North Korea has waged war by threatening countries with its development on nuclear and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) missiles. Despite unified Korean team playing at the games, North and South Korea maintains a strained relationship since the 1953 armistice and have since exchanged threats as tensions elevated between Korean leaders of both nations. The ‘All Korea’ flag is seen as a symbol of putting both the states in the path of peace and harmony, eve though chances of reaching finals or winning the gold seems to be slim.</s>What time is it in South Korea? That's a good question, considering the Winter Olympics start with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9. It's the first Olympic Games held in South Korea for the first time since 1988. Pyeongchang is ready to offer its "Happy700," a slogan referencing the county's beloved 700-meter elevation, to an international audience.

What about the rest of us back home, however? What time will events be broadcast by NBC, which begins coverage on Feb. 8?

We've got you covered. First thing's first: Pyeongchang falls in the Korea Standard Time zone (UTC+0:900), which means there is a 14-hour difference between local time and Eastern Standard Time in the United States.

Here are the time differences for all time zones across the United States:

Pyeongchang time is also ahead of all those time zones, so if NBC is broadcasting live at 8 p.m. ET, that means it is actually 10 a.m. the following day in Pyeongchang. An event broadcast live at 8 a.m. ET, meanwhile, would actually be a 10 p.m. event in South Korea.

Get ready to stay up late, East Coasters!</s>The 2018 Winter Olympic Games officially kicked off with an opening ceremony taking place in South Korean city of Pyeongchang on Friday.

Some visitors of the event were unable to print their tickets in advance as the attack forced the organizers to shut down the website of the Games to prevent further damage, the Yonhap news agency reported.

READ MORE: Let the Games Begin: Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Start Prior to Opening Ceremony

The website resumed its operation around 8:00 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT, Friday).</s>Excitement is building for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and the pressure is on for this year's hosts as final preparations are put in place ahead of the games kicking off this weekend.

This year, the games are taking place in a winter destination that won't necessarily have been on most tourist's radars; South Korea.

It marks the third time that the country had bid to host the games, having previously lost out to Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.

It won't be the world-famous capital of Seoul which will host the games though. Instead, this year;s competitions will take place in the lesser-known region of Pyeongchang.

It's no wonder that this picturesque county was on the organisers' radar; tucked away in the Taebaek Mountain region, it's an ideal wintry spot for the games.

We take a look at everything you need to know about the Winter Olympics location from where the games will take place to top things to see and do, as well as how to get around.

Where will the Winter Olympics be held?

This year's games will take place in Pyeongchang, a county in South Korea's Gangwon Province, tucked away in the Taebaek Mountains.

The majority of the action will take place at the Alpensia Resort which sits at the bottom of the mountains, but there will be venues located across the region including the city of Gangneung, where there'll be an Olympic Park for events such as ice hockey and speed skating.

Pyeongchang will also be the smallest city to play host to the Olympics since Norway's Lillehammer in 1994.

The city sits about 110 miles from the capital of Seoul, but there will be a new high speed rail to transport tourists to and from the venues.

Is it safe to travel to South Korea?

The Foreign Office currently does not advise against travel to South Korea, but it does warn tourists that tensions between the country and neighbour North Korea are currently extremely high following North Korea's series of nuclear missile tests .

The Foreign Office warns: "There remains a threat of further missile or nuclear tests, which could lead to further instability in the region. The level of tension and the security situation can change with little notice. Tensions usually rise around the time of the regular South Korean-US military exercises, notably those held in March and August."

You can check the latest FCO advice here . There is also a dedicated page for tourists visiting Pyeongchang for the Winter Olympics .

Hut and Seoul: The Korean capital of contrasts

The best things to see and do in Pyeongchang

Unsurprisingly, the Olympic Stadium and venues will be top of the itinerary for sports fans. However, that's not all that Pyeongchang has to offer visitors, especially future tourists looking to explore the region.

For a start, Pyeongchang is home to the impressive Odaesan National Park which is packed with eye-catching temples, hiking trails and landmarks including the Guryong Pokpo, a collection of nine waterfalls which, according to legend, belong to dragons.

If you do visit, make sure to include a stop at the Woljeonsgsa Temple on your itinerary. Located in a forested valley, the temple is in charge of 60 temples and 8 monasteries, and features some beautiful landmarks.

Another temple that proves a hit with visitors is the picturesque Sangwonsa Temple which is built into the side of the mountain, so you can also enjoy spectacular views of the landscape.

For those wanting to have a go on the slopes themselves, the Phoenix Snow Park has some great pistes for skiing and snowboarding.

How to get around during the Winter Olympics

Accommodation in Pyeongchang is limited although it's not impossible to find cheap hotels, some from £59 per night .

However, most people will no doubt be staying in the capital of Seoul where there's a wider of accommodation on offer whether you're looking for the best luxury hotels or after more budget-friendly options .

Getting from Seoul to the Olympic venues will be easier too thanks to a brand new high speed rail that's been built to transport fans to and from the event.

The track, which opened in December, will reduce the transport time by half, with the journey taking approximately 1h15mins.

Travel site Kiwi.com suggests: "If you are planning a longer stay in South Korea to travel around the country, check out the options for KTX, Korail and other rail passes, which could save you a lot of money."
The 23rd Winter Olympic Games start in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It marks the first time that South Korea has hosted the Winter Olympics.