It is almost seven years since the day in Durban when International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge pulled open the gold envelope to award Pyeongchang the event.

The South Korean county had been trying for the Winter Olympics for well over a decade and this week the Torch Relay has drawn ever-nearer to Seoul, host city of the Summer Games in 1988 and South Korea's capital.

"I only became aware that Korea were even bidding when I saw Yuna Kim's bid speech about it on television," said Torchbearer Kim Gyu Pil.

"As the Games approached, I grew more interested in how I could participate."

In Suwon, organisers reached for a formula that has proved tried and trusted throughout this Relay.

Kim Jin Woon and Lee Seung Hoon are both singers with K-pop band Winner - an appropriate name for the Olympics if ever there was one. 

Predictably, they were greeted by whooping fans as they ran together.

"People from all walks of life have taken part in this Relay to show their support for the Games, so it is a real honour for us," they said.

Actor Ryu Jun Yeol also carried the flame in his home town.

His actress/singer girlfriend Lee Hye Ri was earlier named as an ambassador for the Games.

The flame visited Samsung's digital city. 

The electronics company, a sponsor of the Olympic Torch Relay, was founded 80-years ago.

As part of their involvement, they nominated Yan Yuhong from the Chinese province of Sichuan.

A victim of polio in early childhood, he has won three Para-swimming golds in regional Games.

He now uses an electric wheelchair funded by the sponsor and insists he wants to repeat the experience in four years time when the Winter Olympic flame heads to Beijing.

In Yongin, two blind runners and their guide dogs exchanged the flame.

The flame also visited the satellite centre in the town.

Organisers promised not to neglect South Korea's rich cultural past and runners visited the Bulguksa Temple at Gyeongsang. 

A Buddhist place of worship, it was built 1,560 years ago and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

Most runners in the Relay have been from South Korea but Poland's former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk was also chosen to carry the flame.

"It is a huge honour," she said.

"MMA is a long way from being included in Olympic competition so it is a big thing for me to represent our country in such a big international arena."

Later this week, the cavalcade heads to Seoul.

In a sign of the times, five members of the e-sports team KT Rolster will carry the flame there.

Hit comedy actor Cha Seung Won will also carry the Torch in the capital.

"I pray for the successful hosting of the Games," he said.

The flame has already visited 1988 venue Songnam where the Olympic hockey tournament was held.

Temperatures were evidently more suited to ice hockey as a band of youngsters, resplendent in Olympic bobble hats against the cold, welcomed the flame.

The Winter Olympics will take place between February 9 and 25.