Yu Won-kyun, silver medalist at the 2015 World Kendo Championships, poses with the Olympic torch in front of a statue in honor of independence fighter Ryu Gwansun, at the Ryu Gwansun Memorial Hall in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do Province, on Dec. 17. (Yonhap News)
By Sohn JiAe
The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games torch, handed over by the humanoid robot Hubo in Daejeon-si, has finished its tour across Sejong-si and then to Asan-si and Cheonan-si in Chungcheongnam-do Province.
On Dec. 13, as it arrived in Sejong-si, home to many of the nation’s government offices, the Olympic torch was carried through a roof-top garden of the government complex, a 3.6-km park that connects 14 administration buildings, from the first building for the Office for Government Policy Coordination through to the 14th building for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
On Dec. 16, the torch arrived in Asan-si and was passed on by Mustapha Salameh from Jordan, one of the world’s 15 mountaineers who has climbed the Seven Summits, golfer Choi Jin-ho, who won the 2016 Korea Professional Golf Association (KPGA) Championship, and by up-and-coming figure skater Choi Da-hee.
The torch relay for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games proceeds along the roof-top garden at the Government Complex Sejong, in Sejong-si on Dec. 13. (Yonhap News)
The torch then moved to a memorial dedicated to independence fighter Ryu Gwansun (1902-1920) in Cheonan-si, a patriot who lost her life in a cell after being arrested for her involvement in the Korean independence movement on March 1, 1919.
The Cheonan leg of the relay covered a total of 62.8 km in the city. It passed through the Aunae Jangteo Market, where the female independence hero cried, "Korean independence, forever!" (“Daehan dongnip Manse," "대한독립 만세") and through the Independence Hall of Korea.
The torch began a six-day leg of its relay in Chungcheongbuk-do Province on Dec. 18, starting in Cheongju-si. The flame will light up Jincheon on Dec. 20, Chungju on Dec. 21, Jecheon on Dec. 22 and Danyang on Dec. 23.
An Olympic torch bearer and Olympic fans pose for a photo in Taegeukgi Square at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do Province, on Dec. 17. (PyeongChang Organizing Committee)
Up-and-coming figure skater Choi Da-hee (right) lights the Olympic flame along with Asan Mayor Bok Ki-wang at the Onyangoncheon Station Square in Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do Province, on Dec. 17. (PyeongChang Organizing Committee)
jiae5853@korea.kr