Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, unexpectedly shook hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in as the Games officially kicked off in Pyeonchang, South Korea.
The 2018 Winter Olympics officially kicked off with a dramatic and relatively controversy-free opening ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The pre-event talk was dominated by the attendance of a delegation from North Korea, led by leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong. She became the first member of North Korea’s ruling family to visit the South since the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim Yong-nam, North Korea’s ceremonial head of state, was also in attendance.
The ceremony began with the obligatory introduction to Olympic officials and political dignitaries from the host nation and in a historic and unexpected moment Kim Yo-jong shook hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
In freezing temperatures that dropped to 27 degrees, the political show of unity from the two Koreas in the stands was replicated somewhat in the sections of the opening ceremony. After a spectacular fireworks display, there was a taekwondo demonstration by people from both North and South Korea.
Later, to a rapturous reception, the athletes for the two Koreas came out to a unified flag and accompanied by “Arirang” a Korean folk song considered the unofficial anthem of the Koreas. The two flagbearers were North Korean ice hockey player Hwang Chung-gum and South Korean bobsledder Won Yun-jong.
The athlete’s parade began, as is tradition, with Greece and the teams came out to a succession of K-pop hits, including Psy’s “Gangham Style.”
Team USA was led by luge veteran Erin Hamlin, a controversial choice days before the opening ceremony. Hamlin won the prestigious role as flagbearer after winning a coin toss against the more decorated speedskater Shani Davis after the selection process ended in a tie. Davis was not pleased about the result and tweeted that he had lost out “dishonorably.”
The ceremony ended with the traditional lighting of the Olympic flame, with a number of Korean athletes carrying the torch in the final legs of the relay. The Olympic cauldron itself, atop one side of the stadium, was lit by gold medal-winning figure skater Yuna Kim. Then there was yet another fireworks display to conclude things.
As well as the visiting North Koreans, U.S. vice president Mike Pence was there. Earlier on Friday, the vice president met with North Korean defectors while visiting the U.S. military base at Pyeongtaek. Other prominent foreign dignitaries in attendance included Canada’s governor general Julie Payette, French president Emmanuel Macron, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands.