The 17th Asian Games kicked off with a lavish opening ceremony Friday, with YouTube singer PSY getting the crowd jumping for the curtain-closer with his popular "Gangnam Style" to kick off the contental extravaganza.
The ceremony at Asiad Main Stadium was the opening showcase for the 16-day event in which nearly 10,000 athletes will compete for 439 gold medals on offer in 36 sports (28 Olympic, eight non Olympic) from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
Both the opening and closing ceremonies are being directed by South Korea movie director Im Kwon-taek with playwright and actor Jang Jin as the artistic director and also feature celebrities, such as opera singer Sumi Jo and Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang.