The handshake between the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in was highlighted as Games organisers reflected on the opening ceremony for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Kim Yo-jong had become the first member of the ruling Pyongyang family to set foot in the south since the end of the Korean War so her greeting with Moon Jae-in was seen as symbolic.
“It was a great moment,” said International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams during the first daily briefing of the Games.
“It opens the door and helps build bridges. The Olympic Games is a symbol of how things might be in the world.”
The North and South Korean teams marched side-by-side under a unified flag during the athletes’ parade section of the ceremony which ended with Korean skating superstar Kim Yu-Na, Olympic champion in Vancouver in 2010, lighting the Olympic flame to get the Games underway after being handed the torch at the top of an ice chute.
“As an athlete myself it was a great honour for me to be the last torch bearer,” she said.
South Korean figure skating queen Kim Yuna lit the Olympic flame.
“It has been a few years since I retired from skating but I was able to skate for a bit before lighting the cauldron and it was an unforgettable moment.”
Song Senung Hwan, executive creative director for the opening ceremony, said he had been able to make this most of his budget which was KRW60 billion (£40million).
“We had to create a ceremony on a limited budget with maximum impact. We started with a low budget but we were able to convey all our messages. I wanted to show that South Korea is a small but strong country.”
POCOG spokesman Sung Baik You was asked about a possible cyber attack on Friday night after some problems with technology. Televisions in the Main Press Centre were affected during the opening ceremony.
He said: “There were some issues which impacted some of our non critical systems for a few hours. We are investigating the cause and checking all systems. At the moment we cannot confirm the cause.”
