PyeongChang 2018: Olympics Highlights With A Touch Of K-Pop

Mar 02, 2018

As the 2018 Winter Olympics came to an end a few days ago, we were left with a lot of wonderful Olympic moments to look back on.

Here are some Olympic highlights brought to you from PyeongChang, with a touch of K-pop!

Korea as one

Through PyeongChang Olympics, we witnessed a beautiful reunion moment between North Korea and South Korea.

In fact, the two countries joined hands during the opening ceremony as they marched under the Korean unification flag, while the traditional folk song “Arirang” played in the background.

This unity was also established through the women’s joint ice hockey team that participated in the Olympic games.

Figure skating meets K-pop

During the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Gala, talented Olympic figure skaters from all around the world mesmerized us with their outstanding performances, as some of them fervently skated to K-pop.

Misha Ge, a male figure skater from Uzbekistan, powerfully skated to BTS’s “Mic Drop” remix.

olympic skater misha ge did a performance to bts’ mic drop at the gala show today! #iHeartAwards #BestFanArmy #BTSARMY @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/I0tNzQ9awB

— snoopy (@vantaekim) February 25, 2018

Korean ice dancers Yura Min and Alexander Gamelin colorfully skated to BIGBANG and 2NE1’s “Lollipop” while treating audience to candy towards the end of their performance.

bigbang & 2ne1 – bang bang bang + i am the best (remix)
( yura min & alexander gamelin, 2017 ) pic.twitter.com/ebHN3EKCdq

— hana (@KW0NJI) February 23, 2018

Korean pair skating duo Kyueun Kim and Alex Kang Chan Kim skated to 2NE1’s “I Am The Best” and Red Velvet’s “Red Flavor.”

A summer song used at Winter Olympics gala. Ppalgamat~ ❤️ #RedVelvet #RedFlavor #Olympics2018 pic.twitter.com/73MjgxfqPZ

— AnnyeongLupa (@bluemerlene) February 25, 2018

2NE1’s “I Am The Best” was played again while 2018 South Korean national champion You Young left her elegant touch on ice. Following her performance, the young athlete received a shoutout from CL herself.

+OLYMPICS 2018+#YESYESYES @young_you_0527

A post shared by CL (@chaelincl) on Feb 13, 2018 at 6:07am PST

Olympians as K-pop fans

U.S. ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutani happen to be avid BTS fans, and were hoping to meet them during the Winter Olympics, as they came baring gifts.

Moreover, the Olympic bronze medalists highly praised CL’s and EXO’s performances during the closing ceremony via Twitter.

British skeleton racer Laura Deas, Russian figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva, and Korean ice dancers Yura Min and Alexander Gamelin all have one thing in common: they’re big EXO fans.

All four athletes managed to snap a picture with Korea’s popular idol group as a memento, prior to the closing ceremony.

Misha Ge has stated once via an old tweet that he is a huge fan of K-pop. The skillful athlete has proved it time and time again as he previously skated to K-pop hits from PSY, BIGBANG, and EXO, to name a few.

Some KPop fans ask me : do you like KPop? A: I not only like it , i’m not only dance it, i’m also skating it ???

— Misha Ge (@mishageofficial) February 15, 2014

Idols showing PyeongChang 2018 some love

The torch relay witnessed a massive idol presence, with Suzy being one of the first torchbearers.

Following her (in no specific order) were: WINNER’s Song Mino, VIXX’s N and Leo, Jeon Somi, MONSTA X, and MAMAMOO, among other idol actors, comedians, and entertainers.

An amazing list of idols were assigned as honorary ambassadors. Some of these talented artists were: AOA, Girl’s Day, and BIGBANG’s Taeyang who self-composed the PyeongChang 2018 olympic theme song.

Opening and closing ceremonies

Being held in none other than the home of the Korean wave, K-pop proudly reigned over the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

During the opening ceremony, the parade of nations took place with hit K-pop tracks being played as the background music. The lit setlist consisted of PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” TWICE’s “Likey,” BIGBANG’s “Fantastic Baby,” BTS’s “DNA,” and Red Velvet’s “Red Flavor.” (0:51-1:23)

Later, many artists set the Olympic headliner show on fire as they took the stage. The participating K-pop groups were: Super Junior’s Donghae & Eunhyuk, 2PM, BTOB, B1A4, Red Velvet, GFRIEND, and NCT 127.

Finally, the closing ceremony was crowned with performances from CL and EXO. With hit songs “The Baddest Female,” “I Am The Best,” “Growl,” and “Power,” both the baddest female and the powerful idol group respectively delivered impressive performances that received loud cheers from the crowd.

SLAY QUEEN – #Olympics_CL #CL #PyeongChang2018 #QueenCL pic.twitter.com/VtPJfGbTeX

— ChogiwaNa (@ChogiWaNa) February 25, 2018

#카이 의 독무로 시작된 #EXO 의 폐막 공연#으르렁 부터 #Power 까지!#평창올림픽 2.9 ~ 2.25 MBC와 함께! #PyeongChang2018 #2018평창올림픽 #평창 #올림픽 #MBC평창나의올림픽 #폐회식 pic.twitter.com/iKs8xebiQk

— withMBC (@withMBC) February 25, 2018

Korea’s achievements during the Olympics

The hosting country made sure to leave its print during the 2018 Winter Olympics, by snatching a total of 17 medals in six different sports.

In short track speed skating:

Choi Min Jeong took home two gold medals; the first one being in women’s 1500 meters, and the second one in women’s 3000-meter relay alongside teammates Kim A Lang, Kim Ye Jin, Lee Yu Bin, and Shim Suk Hee.

Lim Hyo Jun won two medals, a gold in men’s 1500 meters and a bronze in men’s 500 meters. Hwang Dae Heon won a silver medal in men’s 500 meters, while Seo Yi Ra earned a bronze medal men’s 1000 meters.

In speed skating:

Lee Seung Hoon grabbed two medals: a gold in men’s mass start, and a silver in men’s team pursuit alongside teammates Chung Jae Won and Kim Min Seok.

Lee Sang Hwa and Cha Min Kyu earned a silver medal each in women and men’s 500 meters, respectively.

Kim Bo Reum snatched a silver medal in women’s mass start.

Kim Tae Yun and Kim Min Seok seized a bronze medal each in men’s 1000 meters and 1500 meters, respectively. This is Kim Min Seok’s second olympic medal prior to the gold one he received in the men’s team pursuit.