Joo Jae-hee of Korea celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's 1,500-meter final in short track speed skating at the Winter Youth Olympics at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangwon Province, Jan. 20. Yonhap)

The first gold medal for the host Korea at the Winter Youth Olympics came from short track speed skating Saturday.

Joo Jae-hee, 17, won the men's 1,500-meter title at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, some 160 kilometers east of Seoul, Saturday, the first day of competition following the previous night's opening ceremony.

Joo's teammate, Kim You-sung, won the bronze medal, with Zhang Xinzhe of China taking home silver.

Joo stayed at the back of the pack in the early going before making his charge on the final lap. He held off Zhang for the gold medal, after also winning the heats and semifinals earlier in the day.

Though medals are awarded to winners and are tallied in real time online, there will be no official medal table compiled by the International Olympic Committee at the end of the Youth Olympic Games.

At the youth event, there is a greater emphasis on friendship and cultural experiences for teenage athletes, rather than cutthroat competition. (Yonhap)