Simon Patmore The Paralympian South Korea The Road to Pyeongchang South Korea The 2018 Paralympic Winter Games will be hosted in the city of Pyeongchang in South Korea. The games will run for 10 days commencing on the 9 th of March and closing on the 18 th of the same month. The Australian Para-Snowboard Team returned from South Korea and we were fortunate to be given a good insight to the progression leading into the games. Below is a little report on South Korea and the areas we visited during the tour. Seoul Seoul is the capital city of South Korea with a dense population of 10 million people. The city is dominated by large modern skyrises with a mixture of traditional Korean architecture. The King s Palace resides on the edge of the city and is a main tourist attraction. The Namsam Seoul Tower is the highest point in Seoul and gives a broad perspective of the city. It is recommended to visit the tower during sunset as the city lights become spectacular. The subway is easy to navigate and is the cheapest way around the city. The National Museum of Korea is only a few stops from the city and gives a good interpretation of early Korean culture. Another tourist attraction is the Namdaemun Markets with Korean street food, souvenirs and Gangnam style clothing stands spread across four street blocks. The best way to arrive in Seoul is the 40-minute express train from Incheon International Airport. It departs every 30 minutes on the hour and costs approximately $20AUD.
Simon Patmore The Paralympian South Korea The Road to Pyeongchang Pyeongchang Pyeongchang is a popular holiday destination for South Koreans. It has all-year round resorts that cater for ski enthusiasts in the winter and golf professionals in the summer. It s a 3-hour drive from Seoul or potentially 1 hour 20 minutes via the high-speed railway that is yet to be completed. Yongpyong Dragon Valley Resort is the main ski resort in Pyeongchang and will be the back-drop mountain for the Paralympic Winter Games. The resort is located 10 kilometres (20 minutes) from the Paralympic Stadium and 78 kilometres from the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Yongpyong has three large hotels that reside at the base of the mountain. The Dragon Valley Hotel caters for the high-end market with fine dining and modern rooms. There s a small convenience shop and clothing stores on the ground level. Next door is the Yongpyong Towers Hotel. The late design has been well maintained over the years and is a little more affordable. There is a convenience store, a shopping mall and a modern entertainment arcade with a bowling alley. The brand new Paralympic Stadium is situated on the edge of Daegwalnyeong-Myeon in Pyeongchang. The stadium can hold up to 35,000 people and will be used for the ceremonies. The new road infrastructure is at the finishing stages with highways and tunnels currently being fitted with electrical and safety requirements. The brand new Athlete s Village is 8 kilometres from the Paralympic Stadium. There are several new towers that have been built that are currently at the fitting out stage. The mountain chosen to host the Para-Snowboard competition is called the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. The gondola and chair lifts have been installed and tested however the new Alpine Centre is still being constructed but is scheduled to be finished in the next few months. Woljeonhsa Temple The Woljeongsa Buddhist Temple will be the most demanding tourist attraction at the games. It oversees 60 temples and 8 monasteries in Pyeongchang. It s a 50-minute drive from the Paralympic Stadium when using the dedicated games transportation link. Pre-purchased tickets are recommended for this attraction. Australian Paralympic Committee Recommendations The Australian Paralympic Committee will be organising packages for relatives wanting to travel to South Korea. This can include flights, accommodation, transportation, event tickets and supporter shirts. To receive information about these packages, fill out the form below and send to kara.retford@paralympic.org.au.