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Special Olympics torch run passes through Koreatown

July 24, 2015
The Special Olympics torch run passed through Koreatown in Los Angeles Thursday. Retired policeman Park Noh-hyun, center, and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, third from right, were among those who came out for a cultural celebration in front of Da Wool Jung. (Choi Kyung-geun/Korea Times)

The Special Olympics torch run passed through Koreatown in Los Angeles Thursday. Retired policeman Park Noh-hyun, center, and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, third from right, were among those who came out for a cultural celebration in front of Da Wool Jung. (Choi Kyung-geun/Korea Times)

By Park Ju-yeon

The Special Olympics torch, the Flame of Hope, passed through Koreatown Thursday during its final run before the games kick off Saturday.

The torch saw both the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro and the Da Wool Jung, a Koreatown landmark, in Los Angeles.

Retired police officer Park Noh-hyun, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, Korean Consul General Kim Hyun-myung and Los Angeles Police Department Olympic Division Captain Vito Palazzolo joined the ceremony.

In front of Da Wool Jung, about 150 locals of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, from Guatemalans to Bangladeshi, came out to perform in a cultural showcase. PAVA World students put on a show of samulnori.

About 7,000 athletes from 177 countries will participate in the Special Olympics World Games, which will run from Saturday to Aug. 2 this year in venues around the city.

The games are expected to attract about 500,000 spectators.