Spectacle and lights open 2018 Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics opened in Pyeongchang on Friday night, amid bone-chilling weather but warming relations between North and South Korea.

Almost 2,500 athletes from 93 countries will compete in 102 medal events across 15 sports in the 23rd edition of the Winter Games, which will continue through Feb. 25.

The South Korean hosts, who spent about $13 billion on their Olympic effort, put on a dazzling display planned for the opening ceremonies, titled "Peace in Motion."

Athletes from the two Koreas were set to march into the Opening Ceremonies together on Friday night, walking under the blue and white "unification flag" which shows the peninsula as one. They will then field a unified women's hockey team on Saturday, playing in blue jerseys with a simple "Korea" on them.

But they also hope to broker some peace behind the scenes, with Vice President Mike Pence and a delegation of senior North Korean officials attending a VIP reception before the Opening Ceremonies, and then the ceremony itself.