South Korea brought the curtain down on its “Peace Games” yesterday, with athletes dancing and singing together at a vibrant closing ceremony, although there was little warmth between dignitaries from the US and North Korea.
South Korea President Moon Jae-in, who hopes to use these Games as an opportunity to engage with the North, warmly greeted US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka before offering a brief handshake to North Korean delegation leader Kim Yong-chol.
Trump sat front and center, beside Moon’s wife, while Kim was seated a row behind, decked out in a long black jacket and furry hat. Sitting two seats along from him was General Vincent Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea.
Photo: AP
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach paid tribute to the athletes, saying they were an example to the world.
“You have shown how sport brings people together in our fragile world; you have shown how sport builds bridges,” he said. “The IOC will continue this Olympic dialogue, even after we extinguish the Olympic flame. In this, we are driven by our faith in the future.”
During his speech, Bach invited several athletes to join him on stage, including South Korea’s gold medalist skeleton rider Yun Sung-bin, North Korean figure skater Ryom Tae-ok, US skier Lindsey Vonn and Tongan flag carrier Pita Taufatofua.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Bach signed off by calling upon the youth of the world to gather in Beijing in four years’ time for the 2022 Winter Games.
With the ceremony showcasing cutting-edge South Korean technology and a remarkable drone show that dotted out the image of the Games mascot Soohorang, a white tiger, in the night sky, athletes marched into the stadium, many wearing their medals.
The Russian flag, absent at the opening ceremony, was again nowhere to be seen after the IOC decided not to lift the suspension on their country.
Photo: EPA-EFE
It was a bitter-sweet day for Russian athletes, who, after savoring the high of winning a nail-biting men’s ice hockey final yesterday, then had to march without their flag.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source