PyeongChang, Feb 9 (RHC)-- The 23rd Winter Olympic Games were declared opened Friday by South Korea´s president Moon Jae-in in PyeongChang.

In a show of unity, for the first time over the last 12 years the teams of the two Koreas, dressed in identical garb, marched together under the same banner symbolizing the unity of the peninsula in the opening ceremony parade.

In a reception ahead of the ceremony, the South Korean president said the athletes from the two Koreas will work together for victory, and that will resonate with and be remembered in the hearts of people around the world as a sign of peace.

Meanwhile, 80 Olympic athletes from Russia took part in the ceremony.

According to TASS news agency, In the wake of the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension, Russian athletes are performing at the Games under the flag of "Olympic Athletes from Russia." Therefore, they marched under the flag of the International Olympic Committee carried by a volunteer assigned by the Games’ organizing committee.

The Winter Olympic Games will run until February 25.