They may not take home a medal, but the Pyeongchang winter games couldn鈥檛 succeed without roughly 20,000 volunteers.
As the games got underway, 愛污传媒 spoke to a handful of young Koreans who were practicing their English while assisting foreign tourists.
The volunteers -- some so young they weren鈥檛 born when Korea last the summer games in 1988 -- are proud of their country, despite its challenges.
Consider this: A new high-speed train line whisks people from Incheon airport on the west coast to Pyeongchang in the east of the country, reaching speeds of up to 250 km/h. The train line took just
One young woman who greeted tourists as they alighted from a high-speed train told 愛污传媒 she was from near the capital Seoul, a metropolis of more than It was her first time in the region.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really small and it鈥檚 (the) countryside,鈥� she said of the host city, which has just a population of just 43,000. Does she like it? 鈥淵es! Fresh air.鈥�
One high school student said he was looking at the experience as a last hurrah before beginning his mandatory two years of military service starting Feb. 19.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I need to volunteer,鈥� he said.
It鈥檚 a reminder that despite a pause in tension between the two warring Koreas to celebrate their athletes, young Koreans face big challenges ahead.
With a report from CTV Chief Anchor Lisa LaFlamme in South Korea
