Asian Games 2014: Opening Ceremony Kicks Off In South Korean City Of Incheon [SLIDESHOW]

The opening ceremony for the 17th Asian Games kicked off Friday in the South Korean port city of Incheon. The 2014 games will feature 36 sports and award about 439 gold medals.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye and other senior leaders were reportedly present at the opening ceremony. According to local reports, South Korean film directors Im Kwon-Taek and Jang Jin, who are the joint directors of the Asian Games, promised to make the opening event a grand affair.

The show began with a burst of fireworks and a performance by South Korean-Chinese K-pop boy band “Exo.” Pungmul, a Korean folk music tradition, as well as performances by Grammy Award-winning South Korean soprano Sumi Jo and South Korean actor Jang Donggun were also part of the program.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Friday to express his goodwill for the Indian delegation.

Olympic Council of Asia chief Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah told a meeting of the organization’s executive board on Friday: "I hope that over the next 16 days our athletes and you will participate with goodwill and (appropriate) behaviour," according to The Times of India.