[Courtesy of Pyeongchang Olympic Committee]
Sales of tickets for the 2018 winter Olympics in South Korea's eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang will begin in February, four months behind its original schedule due to poor publicity caused by a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye.
Advance tickets are available from February 9, and foreigners can get tickets through an authorized ticket reseller (ATR) in their country. Ticket sales were to begin in October, but a lack of promotion and public interest forced a delay.
On its website, the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee unveiled a 30-second promotional video clip titled "Get Your Tickets and Share the Passion".
A total of 1.17 million tickets worth 174 billion won (149 million US dollars) will be issued with 90 percent to be handled by the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee, which aims to sell 30 percent of its tickets abroad.
The price of tickets for the opening ceremony will range from 220,000 won to 1.5 million won. Tickets for popular figure skating, short track, and speed skating events will start from 150,000 won, with the most expensive ticket selling for 900,000 won.
The Korea Economic Research Institute, a private think-tank, predicted that the 2018 Games could generate up to 21.1 trillion won in investment and spending, with their overall economic impact expected to reach 32.2 trillion won over a 10-year period.
The biggest challenge facing Pyeongchang is how to promote the Games across the world, the IOC's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang, headed by Gunilla Lindberg, said earlier.
Organizers have appealed for public support, saying Pyeongchang has become the victim of a negative campaign by online users. Relatives and associates of Park's jailed crony, Choi Soon-sil, have been accused of trying to acquire personal gains from various projects pushed by Pyeongchang.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
