'Soohorang' and 'Bandabi' unveiled as Pyeongchang 2018 mascots

"Soohorang and Bandabi will be your good friends and promote the Pyeongchang Olympic Games to the whole world," Lee hee-beom, president of the Games organising committee, told students during a ceremony at Hoeng Gye elementary school in Pyeongchang.

(Reuters)

Soohorang's name is derived from the Korean words for 'protection' (Sooho) and 'tiger' (ho-rang-i).

The white tiger is considered a sacred guardian animal in South Korea, with some locals considering the Korean peninsula to be tiger-shaped.

The 1988 Seoul Olympics also featured a tiger mascot.

Paralympic Games mascot "Bandabi" represents courage and strong willpower, organisers said.

The Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games will be held from Feb. 9-25.

(Reporting by Minwoo Park. Editing by Patrick Johnston)