The world's best shooters are in South Korea to compete in the 2018 World Shooting Championship.
It's the first time in 40 years... that the event is being held on the Asian continent, and it's a strong sport for Korea.
Participants who qualify are will be moving on to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Won Jung-hwan reports.
The world's best shooters are in South Korea's southeastern port city of Changwon for the big one: the 2018 International Shooting Sports Federation World Championships.
The four-thousand seater Changwon Indoor Gymnasium was packed to capacity with excited fans for Saturday night's opening ceremony.
Held every four years, the ISSF World Championships are considered one of the five major global sporting events along with the Olympics and the World Cup.
What's also notable is that this is the first time in 40 years for the championships to be hosted in Asia, after the 1978 event in Seoul.
This year's championships are one of the biggest yet -- drawing almost three-and-a-half thousand of the world's sharpest shooters from 91 countries.
And among them,… twelve athletes from North Korea.
The North Korean squad, who arrived in Changwon on Friday, will compete in 14 events, and are accompanied by ten North Korean support staff.
At 225,... South Korea has the biggest delegation of shooters.
They are led by Olympic champion Jin Jong-oh and Kim Jun-hong, the world record holder in the men's 25-meter rapid fire pistol.
"This year's event will see the largest number of participants competing in 60 events,… as it will serve as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News, Changwon."