After much anticipationand suspense, the city of Daegu was finally able to extend their warm welcome to the much-awaited the delegation and cheering squadof the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the participants they wanted to see most at the 22nd Summer Univerisade.

"I haven't seen the delegation and cheering squad in person andcouldn't wait to see them at the opening ceremony," said Park Bogyu, a college student volunteer in the Universiade Media Center.

Park, a Daegu citizen who studies in Canada, is now back to serve the grand festival not only for college students but for theDaegu people.

A 218-member DPR Korean delegation, including 89 athletes and 24 journalists, arrived at Gimhae International Airport near Busanon Wednesday morning on two chartered Air Koryo flights. They werereceived by Park Sang-ha, executive president of the Daegu Universiade Organizing Committee (DUOC) and headed to the Athletes' Village immediately.

Hundreds of DUOC officials, as well as volunteers and local civic groups greeted the DPR Koreans by singing traditional tunes like "Arirang" at the village entrance.

The 302-member DPRK cheering squad, consisting mostly of young female students majoring in arts-related studies, arrived after the delegation on Wednesday afternoon. They stay at a separate location north of the city and will cheer on their national teams on competition venues.

Ryu Jeong-min, a 24-year-old Daegu native, was lucky enough to see the delegation and cheering leaders on site.

"I saw them! It was really exciting. Finally they come. I felt like watching them at a distance then and now we're getting closer." she said.

In the past few days, the South Korean press have launched a heavy coverage on the arrival of the DPRK delegation and the accompanying cheering squad. Almost all the major newspapers in South Korea frontpaged their pictures.