BEIJING-- South Korea will be the 73rd among 91 nations to enter the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Thursday the order has been determined by the Chinese language, as per Olympic tradition.

The National Stadium, colloquially known as Bird's Nest, will provide the stage for the opening ceremony starting at 8 p.m. Friday. The venue also hosted the ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijing is the first city to hold both Summer and Winter Games.

Short track speed skaters Kwak Yoon-gy and Kim A-lang will be the flag bearers for South Korea. The KSOC said 20 athletes and 28 officials will represent the country at the ceremony.

Greece, which hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, will be the first country in the parade. The host country China will be the last, with the host country of the next Winter Olympics, Italy, immediately preceding China.

The Beijing Olympics will wrap up on Feb. 20.

Source: Yonhap News Agency