KOR Kim Yeon-koung and Hwang Sun-woo Lead 103rd Entry... Olympic Opening Ceremony Concludes Smoothly

On the 23rd, the Korean delegation entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony held at the National Stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] The South Korean delegation, led by swimmer Hwang Sun-woo and volleyball player Kim Yeon-koung, entered the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony as the 103rd team.

The South Korean delegation marched into the stadium as the 103rd team according to the order of countries written in Japanese at the opening ceremony held at Tokyo Olympic Stadium, Japan, at 8 p.m. on the 23rd.

Although South Korea's official English name is the Republic of Korea, it was written in Japanese using the Chinese characters for Daehan Minguk (大韓民國) at this event.

Kim Yeon-koung and Hwang Sun-woo entered the stadium at the front of the delegation holding the Taegeukgi flag while wearing masks. The remaining 28 members, including 22 athletes from volleyball, rugby, shooting, and swimming, and 6 officials, followed behind.

The moment when Ban Ki-moon, Chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Ethics Commission, waved his hand to greet the South Korean delegation as they entered was captured on camera.

The opening ceremony lasted about 3 hours and 30 minutes under themes such as "Where Stories Begin," "Together Yet Apart," "Enduring Legacy," "Here Together," and "Peace Through Sport."

This Olympics features over 11,000 athletes from 206 countries (including the Refugee Team). They will compete for a total of 339 gold medals across a record 33 sports until August 8.