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N.K. preparations for torch relay almost complete: KCNA
SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is putting the final touches on its preparations for the first-ever Olympic torch relay in the country, the communist state's official media reported Wednesday.
"Preparations for the torch relay in the 29th Olympic Games are in their final stage thanks to the active efforts by the DPRK Olympic Committee," the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the country's official name.
Officials are now putting the final touches on road decorations and banners as well as the design for a stage where ceremonies will be held at the beginning and end of the relay, the report said.
The torch for the Beijing Olympics is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang aboard a flight from Seoul on April 28. Eighty runners will carry the flame on a 20-km section of a main road leading to Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, according to earlier media reports.
The North's national Olympic committee announced a list of the 80 torch carriers a few days ago, the KCNA said. It said famous North Korean athletes and officials who contributed to the world's awareness of the country in international competitions, North Korean workers in various fields, overseas Koreans and foreigners residing in the North will take part in the relay. It did not give further details about the list.
An earlier news report from a pro-Pyongyang daily in Japan said Pak Du-ik, a former soccer star who scored the winning goal for North Korea in a World Cup match against Italy in 1966, was among the 80 runners.
North Korea surprised the world by beating Italy 1-0 in the final group-stage match to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals in London.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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