The 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympic Games opening ceremony Director Apollo Yang, right, speaks during a press conference at Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Thursday. Courtesy of 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympic Games Committee

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province — The opening ceremony for the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics will be an energetic event that young athletes from around the world can enjoy together, its director Apollo Yang said, Thursday.

Yang was the head producer of the opening ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Olympics.

The 55-year-old said the event will emphasize the infinite potential and energy of the youth under the ceremony motto of "Let Us Shine."

"Each one of them is a little universe of their own. I want to portray them as shining stars in an infinite universe," Yang said during a media conference at Seamarq Hotel in Gangneung, Thursday.

Yang gained attention for producing a massive drone show during the opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Olympics. This time, however, Yang said he wants to deliver a fairytale-like story for young people instead of a large-scale performance.

"The event will portray the dream of a little girl, named Woori ('us' in Korean), who travels through the universe and meets her future self who has become an astronaut," he added. "Under the setup, we would like to portray an ethereal beauty of space in the universe."

The first performance of the opening ceremony will be staged by Turns, the winner of Mnet's dance competition "Street Dance Girls Fighter." The five-member dance crew will perform as teenagers in school uniforms. World-famous Ambiguous Dance Company will also join them with promising dancers from Gangwon Province.

A number of K-pop prospects are set to feature in the event. Rookie groups TripleS and LUN8 will perform also. Both made their debut last year.

The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics will also feature a digital torch for the first time in Olympic history.

"The digital torch will be lit on an LED panel for the two-week event," said Jace Oh, opening ceremony head producer during the press conference.

"Keeping pace with the global trend of sustainability, it aims to avoid using a real torch that uses gas and flammable material. It will also reflect weather and wind conditions during the event."

The opening ceremony will be held simultaneously at Gangneung Oval and Yongpyeong Dome, Friday. About 1,900 young athletes from 80 countries will compete in seven different sports over two weeks.

This article is a joint work between The Korea Times and 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympic Games committee. — ED.