Story highlights 100 days to go until 2018 Winter Olympics

South Korea defiant amid tensions with North

Pyeongchang, South Korea (CNN) Marking 100 days until the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the Olympic flame has once again arrived on South Korean soil.

Thirty years after the 1998 Seoul Summer Olympics, the flame arrived at Incheon airport to a show of singing, dancing and speeches.

South Korea's favorite figure skater and former Olympiad, Kim Yuna and Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon stood side by side to ignite the flame to a ceremonial cauldron and start the Olympic torch relay.

Over the coming months, 7,500 torchbearers will carry the flame 2,018 kilometers around South Korea before arriving at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on February 9.

Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang While the Olympics have traditionally been the realm of human competition, it appears robots are coming for next year's Games in South Korea. A humanoid bot, dubbed HUBO, received the iconic flame from Dr Dennis Hong in Daejeon on Monday 11 December 2017. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang The iconic Olympic flame arrived in South Korea on Wedesday, November 1, signaling 100 days to go until the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang From ancient Olympia to the icy slopes of PyeongChang, the flame travels thousands of miles over the course of its journey. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang Initially derived from the sun's rays in a parabolic mirror, the flame starts its epic journey at the Temple of Hera, site of the Olympic Games in ancient times. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang Greek cross-country skier Apostolos Angelis had the honor of being the first official torchbearer on this occasion. Here he also holds an olive tree branch as a symbol of peace. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang Angelis passed the torch to former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung , the most decorated Asian footballer in history and a South Korean icon. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang Park believes that North Korea's participation in the Games would send a positive message , telling CNN Sport in September: "We have a tricky relationship between both countries, so if they participate that means a lot to our country as well." Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang A succession of torchbearers carried the flame to the top of Acropolis Hill, where Greek gymnast Dimosthenis Tampakos (Olympic champion in the rings at Athens 2004) illuminated the columns of the Parthenon. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang After completing a week-long tour of Greece, the flame was officially passed to the PyeongChang organizing committee at a handover ceremony. Greek Alpine skier Ioannis Proios is shown holding the torch at the ceremony in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium on October 31, 2017. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang It touched down at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in the safe hands of former figure skating champion Yuna Kim (R) and South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister, Do Jong-Hwan. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Lee Nak-yon, then lit the cauldron to signal the start of the Olympic flame's journey to PyeongChang 2018. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang The honor of being the first to carry the Olympic flame on home soil fell to 13-year-old figure skating prodigy You Young. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang Just 11 years old when she won her first national championships title in 2015, the teenager said: "It is my dream to represent my country at an Olympic Winter Games and I am working hard to make that dream a reality very soon." Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang A ceremony to mark the flame's arrival featured K-pop sensation Taeyang, an honorary ambassador f or next year's Winter Games. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Olympia to PyeongChang The Olympic Flame will be exchanged by 7,500 torchbearers over the coming months days as it makes its journey around the Republic of Korea. Hide Caption 15 of 15

Touring the stadiums, arenas and villages ear-marked for the Olympics, work is still ongoing, but officials say the construction itself is more than 99% complete and their message is undeniably upbeat.