Park Heung-sik, head of the national delegation to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games in Japan, on Oct. 6 holds the national flag alongside Korea Paralympic Committee President Jung Jin-owan at the launching ceremony for the tournament at the committee's Icheon National Training Center in in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province.

By Yoon Sojung

Photos = Korea Paralympic Committee

The national team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games in Japan is on the hunt for gold.

The Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC) on Oct. 6 held the launching ceremony for the Korean delegation to the competition at Icheon National Training Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province.

Jointly hosted by the committee and the Ministry of the Culture, Sports and Tourism, the ceremony drew 400 people including KPC President Jung Jin-owan, the athletes, coaches and officials from sports organizations.

To run from Oct. 18-24, the tournament will be held across the prefectures of Aichi, Gifu and Shizuoka.

Korea's 357-member delegation includes 214 athletes and 104 coaches competing in all 18 events, with a goal of 21 gold medals.

"Today's challenges pave the way for tomorrow's stage," Jung said. "I hope you look beyond Asia toward the global stage in moving forward without limiting yourselves to your records and results so far."

Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Dae-hyun read a congratulatory message from President Lee Jae Myung, saying, "We will provide comprehensive support from preparations for the competition to ensuring their safety and supporting their performance on site so that their hard work and dedication produce meaningful results."

The national team for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games in Japan on Oct. 6 pose for a group photo at Icheon National Training Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province.