Pyeongchang 2018 officials were joined by officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Gangwon Province and the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee.

Lee Hee-beom, the Pyeongchang 2018 President, gave the official welcome address at the Olympic Village in Pyeongchang.

"We are delighted to welcome everyone here today for the official opening of the Pyeongchang Olympic Village," he said.

"Construction began on both residences back in 2015 and to see our first athletes now making themselves at home here is a very proud moment for us all.

"We hope that all athletes and officials living here, and in Gangneung, will feel comfortable and well cared for, and make many happy memories along the way."

Pyeongchang's Olympic Village is set to house more than 3,500 athletes and officials in the Games' mountain cluster.

More than 2,400 athletes and coaches will be based in the coastal cluster.

The ceremonies at the Villages saw the Olympic flag raised by Reserve Officers' Training Corps, before the respective Mayors declared them open.

Athens 2004 table tennis gold medallist Ryu Seung-min is the Mayor of the Pyeongchang Olympic Village, with the athlete since becoming an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes' Commission member.

Kim Ki-hoon has been chosen to be the Mayor of the Gangneung Olympic Village, with the former skater the first South Korean to win gold for the country at speed skating, when he triumphed at the Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics.

He triumphed again two years later in Lillehammer and went on to coach the South Korean team at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

The Gangneung Olympic Village will house athletes taking part in ice sports at the Games.

Athletes are already living in the Villages, with the first arriving last week.

Official team welcome ceremonies are due to take place from February 5 to 8 on a dedicated ceremony stage, along with cultural performances.

The Villages are split into three sections, which include a plaza and residence and operating areas.

A hair salon, post office, bank and convenience store are among the facilities included, along with a fitness centre and religion centre.

The main dining hall is set to operate for 24 hours during the Games, offering 450 food items on a buffet-style menu catering to a wide range of dietary and religious preferences.

IOC President Thomas Bach visited the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Village yesterday.

"We can already say that this is one of the best, if not the best, Olympic Village we have ever seen for the Olympic Winter Games," he said.

"This Village will allow the athletes not only to prepare for competition, but it will also allow the athletes to enjoy the spirit of the Olympic Games and to show what the Olympic Games are about.

"They are about getting to know each other, they are about making friends, they are about understanding each other, they are about competing with each other, but at the same time sharing your meal and celebrating together, and this will all happen here in this place, in this Olympic Village."

Both Villages have already been sold in full to local residents who will take occupancy towards the end of the year.