2018 Winter Olympics Begin In South Korea
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (CBSNewYork/AP) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in declared the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open during a ceremony Friday that featured the rival Koreas joining hands and marching together.
More than 2,900 athletes from 92 countries will compete in the Pyeongchang Games, making it the biggest Winter Olympics to date. Pyeongchang was awarded the games seven years ago and says it's ready for the world.
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The games are taking place amid an international standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons. But Pyongyang's decision to send a high-level delegation, including leader Kim Jong Un's sister, to the Olympics has raised hopes in the South for rapprochement.
The North has sent nearly 500 people to the Pyeongchang Games, including officials, athletes, artists and cheerleaders, after the Koreas agreed to a series of conciliatory gestures to mark the games.
Kim Jong Un's sister arrived at a train station Friday morning. She is the first member of North Korea's ruling family to visit the South since the end of the Korean War in the early 1950s.
Vice President Mike Pence sat just one row in front of Kim Yo Jong at the Opening Ceremony.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
