[Yonhap Photo]
SEOUL, Feb. 01 (Aju News) -- Winter Olympic organizers hoisted North Korean flags in a ceremony to mark the official opening of the athlete's villages, hours before the arrival of a sports delegation from the North aboard a South Korean plane.
There are two athletes villages, one in the main venue for snow sports in the eastern ski resort of Pyeongchang and the other in the eastern port of Gangneung. Pyeongchang will be the largest Winter Games in history with 92 nations sending about 2,900 athletes.
Organizers said North Korean flags turned up at the two villages and other venues on Thursday, a day after the national flags of other participating countries were raised. A South Korean security law bans the unauthorized use of North Korean flags.
South Korea has allowed North Korea to hoist its national flag just for international sports games. The first North Korean flag was used during the 2002 Asian Games in the southern port city of Busan.
The two Koreas carrying a unified flag will march together at the opening ceremony on February 9. Under an IOC-approved deal, The flag-bearers will be two athletes, each from South and North Korea.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
