The Olympic flame arrived in South Korea on Wednesday where it will be passed throughout the country by thousands of torchbearers on a 100-day journey to the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
South Korean figure skating prospect You Young will kick off the 1,253-mile trip from Incheon on Wednesday.
Pyeongchang's organizers have designated 7,500 torchbearers to carry the Olympic flame, which arrived at the Incheon International Airport after a handover ceremony in Athens on Tuesday. Retired Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, who is one of the country's most popular sports personalities, joined South Korean Prime Minster Lee Nak-yon in igniting the flame to a ceremonial cauldron at the airport to mark the start of the Olympic torch relay.
Inside the daily life in North Korea
19 show all Inside the daily life in North Korea
1/19 People reading a newspaper at the metro station
2/19 Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts
3/19 Young people training for a big upcoming festival
4/19 People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon
5/19 Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang
6/19 An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea.
7/19 Solar panels installed on a street lamp.
8/19 A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang
9/19 Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did
10/19 Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free)
11/19 People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon
12/19 People having a great time dancing at a public park
13/19 A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang
14/19 Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang
15/19 My wonderful tour guide at a public park
16/19 One of the parks in Pyongyang
17/19 A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang
18/19 The National War Museum
19/19 Public park in Pyongyang
The Olympic flame last touched the country 30 years ago when the 1988 Summer Olympics were held in the capital Seoul.
Preparations for the February games are being held amid tension over North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile tests. There are also concerns over the huge costs for hosting the games and maintaining facilities that may have little use once the party leaves town.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has urged the North to participate in next year's Olympics, said in a speech to lawmakers on Wednesday that the games are a "golden opportunity" to strengthen peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"Ensuring the success of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and Paralympics that are 100 days away is a national task," Moon said.
Although a North Korean figure skating pair has qualified for the Games, it's uncertain whether Pyongyang would allow the skaters to compete in Pyeongchang, a ski resort town just 50 miles south of the heavily-armed inter-Korean border. North Korea boycotted the 1988 Summer Olympics in South Korea's capital Seoul and has ignored the South's proposals for dialogue in recent months as it accelerated its nuclear and missile development.
The Games are now 100 days away (Getty)
Through the relay routes, the Olympic flame will be carried in a specially designed torch, which will be guarded closely to ensure that the light doesn't go out. After passing through Incheon on Wednesday, the flame will be carried through the southern resort island of Jeju on Thursday and Friday before re-entering the mainland. It will pass through capital Seoul in January.
Organizers hope that the torch relay will generate excitement for the Games, which have failed to dominate conversation in a country experiencing political upheaval and distracted by the North Korean threats.
La , encendida en  el pasado 24 de octubre, llegó a Corea del Sur al tiempo en que se cumplen 100 días restantes para el encendido del pebetero y el inicio de los .

Previamente, en una ceremonia de 90 minutos, efectuada en el , el Comité Organizador de Pyeongchang 2018 recibió la llama olímpica de manos griegas, después de un recorrido de una semana en Grecia. En ese evento, Lee Hee-beom, presidente del Comité, aseguró que en los Juegos reinarán "la paz y la armonía".

Ahora se espera un recorrido de 100 días por el país asiático. Lee Hee-beom y , excampeona olímpica de patinaje artístico, formaron parte de la delegación surcoreana que portaba el fuego olímpico. La llama aterrizó en el , cercano a la capital, .

Los organizadores han seleccionado 7500 portadores. Tras su llegada, Kim Yu Na y el primer ministro, , encendieron un pebetero en el aeropuerto para marcar el inicio del recorrido surcoreano. La llama olímpica viajó en una urna especial a bordo de un avión que cubrió los 8500 kilómetros de distancia entre  e .

Esto también significa el regreso del fuego olímpico a Corea del Sur por vez primera desde los . "El sueño se ha hecho realidad y el día de hoy supone un importante símbolo de orgullo para nuestro trabajo y nuestra pasión a la hora de traer a nuestro país el más apasionante de los eventos deportivos de invierno", declaró el presidente del Comité Organizador.

La llama viajará 2018 kilómetros (en referencia al año olímpico) y pasará por las regiones y ciudades surcoreanas principales. Se prevé que viaje a pie, en tren, avión, barco, bicicleta e incluso a manos de un robot.

La cercanía de los Juegos ha causado tensiones dadas las pruebas nucleares del vecino del norte del país organizador. También existen preocupaciones por los altos costos y el potencial abandono de las instalaciones tras la finalización del evento. En este sentido, el presidente surcoreano, , llamó a Corea del Norte a participar en la justa olímpica y aseguró que esa es una "excelente oportunidad" para fortalecer la paz en la península.