The world’s second largest sporting event opens in style

세계에서 두 번째로 큰 스포츠 축제 드디어 개막
The 2018 Asian Games kicked off Saturday in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
It's considered the world's second biggest sporting event, in terms of global participation.
And this year, South and North Korea are joining hands once again to compete together in several events.
The Games began with a call for world peace.
Won Jung-hwan reports.

2018 Asian Games kicked off in the Indonesian capital with a dazzling opening ceremony.
Just before the ceremony began, there was an amusing video showing Indonesian President Joko Widodo trying to make it to his appearance there on time.
His convoy is stuck in one of Jakarta's infamous traffic jams, so the President grabs a motorbike… and weaves through the cars and narrow lanes to get to the stadium just in time.

After the President's ordeal, there was the breathtaking scene of some 2-thousand school children doing Indonesia's traditional Saman dance, which UNESCO has listed as part of the world's cultural heritage. They welcomed the athletes, who this year hail from 45 different countries. With around 11-thousand people competing from all across the region, the Asian Games are considered the world's second largest sporting event second only to the Olympics.

When the Korean delegation appeared, the stadium let out a roar.
Athletes and officials from South and North marched in together behind the Korean Unification Flag, which bears an image of the Korean Peninsula in light blue… against a white background.
Their presence together in Jakarta is a symbol of peace,… as was their joint entrance to the Winter Olympics this past February in Pyeongchang.
Bearing the flag together were Lim Yung-hui, the South Korean captain of the unified women's basketball team,… and North Korean football player Ju Kyong-chol.

This was the 11th time in history that the two Koreas have walked in together. The first was at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney Olympics.
They've done it also at the Asian Games in South Korea's Busan in 2002… and in Doha in 2006.

The Games in Jakarta will run for two weeks. And spectators can look forward to unified Korean teams competing in women's basketball, dragon boat racing and rowing.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.

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