Torch Relay for Pyeongchang Olympics to Start in November

Former figure skater Kim Yu-na poses with the torch for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics at an event in Seoul on Monday. /Newsis

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The torch relay for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang will begin its more than 100-day run on Nov. 1.

It will wind its way along a 2,018 km route across the country. The organizing committee for the sporting event on Monday unveiled its plans for the relay ahead of its opening in February next year.

In line with Olympic tradition, the torch will be lit in Olympia, Greece on Oct. 24, and carried around Greece for a week before it is flown to Pyeongchang.

The torch will be carried by some 7,500 bearers through 18 cities, including several stops near the Olympic venues in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.

The distance represents the year of the Pyeongchang Olympics, while the number of torch bearers is a symbolic figure representing the two Koreas' combined population of 75 million.

The torch will arrive in Pyeongchang on Feb. 9, with the relay culminating in the lighting of the Olympic flame by the final torch bearer during the opening ceremony.

Former figure skater Kim Yu-na, who is serving as a promotional ambassador for the Olympics, said, "I hope many people get a chance to carry the torch and share this special experience".

Those who are interested in carrying the torch can apply online until May through the websites of the major sponsors for the Olympics, including Samsung and KT.