2018年CRI South Korea Winter Olympics to improve bilateral ties with China,officials

South Korea Winter Olympics to improve bilateral 1 ties with China,officials

South Korean officials say they hope to attract more Chinese tourists and create more exchanges with China as both countries gear up to host the next two editions of the Winter Olympics.

Sung Baik-you, spokesperson for 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics Organizing Committee, says the committee remains 2 in close contact with its Beijing counterparts, as Beijing is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. 

"The Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee has sent large manpower to Pyeongchang to get them familiar with preparation work of the Winter Olympics. And I've learned that 29 staff members working for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Organizing Committee have passed the interviews held by the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee. If they go to Beijing, the experienced workers will be helpful for Beijing games. Such kind of cooperation between the neighboring countries will play a big role in ushering 3 in the era of the Winter Olympics in Asia."

This year's winter games will be held in three separate counties in Gangwon province in South Korea.

Lee Dong Chun is the director of that province's liason office in Beijing.

He says he's very much looking forward to the 8-minute presentation Beijing is going to put on at the end of the South Korean games.

"The most attractive parts of the winter Olympic are the opening and closing ceremonies. In the closing ceremony, China, the host country of the next winter Olympic Games, will put on an eight-minute art performance. The show, "Beijing in 8 minutes," is directed by Zhang Yimou and is highly-anticipated. Beyond this, we anticpate the action at the Games, including compeditors from countries such as Norway and Denmark, as well as some events that Asian athletes are good at, such as speed skating, will be among the highlights. I really like Chinese figure skater Jin Boyang." 

Lee Dong Chun also says he's impressed by the work the Beijing Olympic Committee has been doing, saying they ultimately hope the Games this month can improve bilateral ties between China and South Korea.

"This year I will spend the spring festival in China. As the saying goes, 'If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.' I hope the Winter Olympics could be an opportunity to improve bilateral ties between China and South Korea."

This year's winter Olympic coincides with the Lunar New Year celebrations in China.

As such, a "China Day" event is being put on by the PyeongChang Olympic Committe on the first day of the week-long Spring Festival, which starts on February 16th. 

Over 70 Chinese athletes will participate in the PyeongChang winter games, which are set to open on Friday, and will run until February 25th.

Over a hundred gold medals are up for grabs this time, which is a record number in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.