In July of 2011, South Korea would be elected as the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Known as PyeongChang 2018, the iconic multi-sport event has been great for the most part, however, there are a few things South Korea rather not talk about. This isn’t the first time that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected South Korea to host an Olympics. In 1988, the beautiful country hosted the Summer Olympics, which turned out to be a success for a nation still trying to find its way in the world.

Thirty years later, South Korea is an economic powerhouse in Asia. They have really blossomed, even with the threat of nuclear war over their heads. The South Koreans care about their pride, and they want to show the world they can host the Olympics. That doesn’t mean they don’t have any problems. It wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t point out that pretty much every country has had problems and secrets leading up to hosting the Olympics.

It’s no small task for a country as thousands of travelers come to be entertained. These secrets aren’t necessarily classified information that can jeopardize a country - they're issues that South Korea and the IOC rather you do not know about. Most likely, if they had the means to keep the press quiet, these issues wouldn’t make the headlines.

15 Fake Snow

No one wants to be fake unless you’re the “Human Ken Doll” Rodrigo Alves. South Korea was awarded the honors of hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics, so it would be embarrassing if the country failed short in the snow department. Larges areas of snowless dirt littering the mountainsides and ski runs is like seeing a man losing patches of hair and not completely shaving his head. Although South Korea does get natural snow, they needed a boost for the Olympics.

Allegedly 250 snow cannons were acquired to hide the patches. Fake snow might make the place look more pleasing, however, it does come with risks. Local communities could face water shortages as drinking water is used to create the fake snow. Mixing the natural water with chemicals to create the fake snow can also be harmful to the environment.

14 Fear of Attacks

The Olympics has always been a hot spot for potential attacks. The world stood still in 1972 during the Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, when members of the Black September Organization held eleven Israeli athletes and coaches’ hostage. It didn’t end well and is considered one of the worst security blunders of the 20th century. In 1996, a bomb went off at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

South Korea doesn’t want a Munich or Atlanta on their hands but they also didn’t want to cause a panic with their fear either. Sadly, attacks occur around the world and are committed by all distraught people from all creeds, backgrounds, and ideologies. South Korea is doing the best they can but the last thing they want is to put fear into the public.

13 Weather Concerns

We mentioned the South Koreans had to use fake snow because there just isn’t enough natural snow around. There have been other weather concerns as well and South Korea rather you not know about it. The Winter Olympics are hosted in South Korea’s Gangwon-do province and the area is considered one of the harshest when it comes to weather.

The province is right at the base of a wind tunnel that runs from Siberia, making it extremely cold. It’s not just cold, but the wind can pick up to hurricane levels without an actual hurricane occurring. Countless athletes, fans, and workers have complained about the harsh weather this year. The weather has been freaking out the IOC but the real story is how athletes have been involved in competition during dangerous winds.

12 Lackluster Event Scheduling 

You won’t expect any stories about the terrible scheduling on NBC because they largely have to do with the process. Like other Olympic games, scheduling of events is influenced heavily by NBC because of the enormous fees they paid for the rights to the Olympics. The IOC basically has NBC in their ear and the broadcasting company wants the highest U.S. television ratings as possible. With the USA being 14 hours behind South Korea, scheduling of events has led to some horrors.

Event times have disrupted athletes regular routines as well as attendance numbers. For example, figure skating events were scheduled at 10:00 AM Korean Time in the morning so they can be seen live during the primetime American hours. The morning event saw a low turnout and uneasy performances.

11 Excluding North Korea And Iran From Gifts

Can you say awkward? The IOC and PyeongChang Organizing Committee wanted to give all the athletes a free gift as a token of their appreciation. What was the gift? It was a Samsung Galaxy Note 8, a device that truly shows the innovation of South Korean goods. It seems not everyone was allowed the gift.

Iranian and North Korean athletes were not given the gift because there were concerns this would violate the UN sanctions against Iran and North Korea. It’s a bit awkward you allow these athletes to compete but they can’t receive a device. The Iranian government sent a convoy to South Korea to complain about the situation and in the end, they received their devices, however, North Korea would be left in the dust. Imagine WW3 being started over a device at the Olympics?

10 Reassuring USA & Security Concerns Over North Korea

As most of us know, South Korea and North Korea have been a huge topic on the international stage for decades now. The two countries share a border, culture and history but can’t be further apart when it comes to their economic principles and how the government should be run. Concerns of a North Korean attack at the Olympics were heightened when U.S. UN Ambassador Nikki Haley doubted whether Team USA should show.

Team USA did show up and so did the North Koreans but bombs weren’t dropped. The whole world ducked a bullet, but that doesn’t mean South Korea wasn’t freaking out about it behind the scenes. Allegedly, they went out of their way to assure the safety of the Olympics. South Korean President Moon Jae even called the games an “Olympics for Peace.”

9 Weak Ticket Sales

There is no way of hiding ticket sales but that doesn’t mean South Korea wants the whole world to know how empty the Winter Games are this year. No one wants to be known as the worst, and right now, the ratings, as well as ticket sales haven’t been great. That doesn’t mean all the fault is on South Korea and the IOC.

The weather has played a huge part in the low turnout as it’s the coldest games of all-time. Sung Baik-you, a spokesperson for the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee stated, “It’s not good to have empty seats when seen on TV. We are trying to find a resolution and when seats are empty we will have volunteers sit in that seat.” They could bring in some more cheerleaders from North Korea.

8 Athletes Fearing For Their Safety On Courses

The cold and windy weather has been a “quality of life” nightmare for the IOC and South Koreans. Although it’s the winter, no one wants to be out in freezing cold as well as being hit in the face with wind all day. Japanese ski jumper, Noriaki Kasai, spoke about the weather, stating, "The noise of the wind at the top of the jump was incredible." He explained to The Asahi Shimbun. "I've never experienced anything like that on the World Cup circuit. I said to myself, 'Surely, they are going to cancel this'."

Athletes have feared for their safety on the actual course, something you rarely hear about in the Olympics. The intense gusts have caused a spike in crashes in practically every outdoor event. Austrian snowboarder Anna Gasser told the Hindustantimes, “So many people got hurt because of the wind already.”

7 IOC Scandals

Can we get through an Olympics without a scandal? The answer is no. Scandals are going to be reported but that doesn’t mean the IOC and South Korea want people to know about it right now. They rather hope fans watch the games than read about more scandals. You may have heard the Russian curler, Alexander Krushelnitckii, failing a drug test but we’re not talking about that.

Prosecutors in the United States recently issued a grand jury subpoenas in an investigation on international sports corruption. FIFA, IOC, and the United States Olympic Committee are all on the watch for bribery, money laundering, fraud, and other corruption charges. This stems from a case involving possible racketeering offenses at two track and field world championship events.

6 Volunteer Workers Receiving Terrible Accommodations

South Korea thought the weather might be the biggest problem facing the Olympics but how about all the petitions for better food and housing. To many, the Winter Olympics seems like a wonderland where the food is five-star and the lodging is stellar. Maybe for the best of the best, however, when it comes to the volunteers of the Olympics, it seems they’re getting the short end of the stick. It’s been reported more than 60 petitions have been filed before the start of the Winter Games.

The petition brought up hot drinking water, improved accommodations and hot showers for the 15,000 volunteers. South Korea spent over $10 million on the Olympics, you would think hot water would be accessible. Although volunteers are housed for free, complaints have been made about the shoddy housing, overpopulated bedrooms, and the lack of decent food.

5 A Cyber Attack

We talked South Korea fearing an attack or stunt by North Korea, however, did any of you know about the cyber-attack they faced during the kickoff of the Olympics? The devastating malware was to be blamed for the IT problems South Korea faced during the opening ceremony. Internet and television systems failed for on-site journalists. South Korea was quiet about the whole ordeal until they finally opened up and admitted there was a coordinated cyber-attack.

Whether it the Russians, North Koreans, or some teen in a basement in Australia, the show went on. According to security researchers from Cisco’s Talos division, a team that protects data and infrastructure claimed the malware’s main job was to destroy data. The culprit hasn’t been found and we doubt South Korea would release the details right away if they do find the party that is responsible.

4 Environmental Protests

Bringing the Olympics to an area isn’t a small task. Countless hours of construction are involved and usually, the environment suffers for it. Just like the 2016 Summer Olympics, environmental activists have tried to have their voices heard. Allegedly, South Korea and the IOC removed a 500-year-old virgin forest on Mount Gariwang to build the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. South Koreans that live in the area say it’s sacred due to its ties to the Chosun dynasty.

Officials have said they will restore the forest once the games are finished, however, many are skeptical of their claims. Environmental groups also pointed out that chemicals used to make fake snow are going to harm the region’s soil permanently. To be fair, Mount Gariwang was selected by The Forest Service because it was the only location to meet international course requirements.

3 Disturbing Foods 

If you love adorable puppies you may want to skip this next one. Every culture can have good, bad, and/or weird customs. In the Far East, it isn’t uncommon for someone to eat some dog meat for lunch. The government of South Korea knows the whole world is watching, that’s why they made it a point to stop, hide, or at least stall the dog meat business.

It was reported that the government was offering subsidies for restaurants if they stopped serving dog meat. For clarification, having canines as livestock isn’t illegal in South Korea, however, most Koreans find the taste detestable. Cooking dogs has decreased over the decades but it’s still an item in the country. Don’t worry, if you’re in South Korea, you don’t have to eat dog, you can try goat soup instead.

2 Norovirus

What’s one thing a virus loves? Ample supply of people packed into tight places so it can spread. With the Winter Olympics bringing thousands of people all over the world to South Korea, the country is going to be packed to the gills with potential hosts for the norovirus. Have you heard of the norovirus? The IOC has, and they have been freaking out about it.

It was reported that 41 out of 1,200 people that are handling security for the PyeongChang Olympics have been hospitalized with the stomach virus. The norovirus can cause cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. The virus can spread through the air and stick to silverware or counters. Although the virus is common, South Korea rather keep the spread of the infection a secret until the Olympics are over. After all, you don’t want to cause a panic.

1 Treatment & Conditions Of Construction Workers

It’s not easy to construct facilities for the Olympics and we’ve heard our fair share of horror stories over the decades. For a country to host the Olympics is a big deal. They’re telling the world they can handle one of the biggest international events known to the world. South Korea has had their own issues and they would rather keep it a secret.

The problems haven’t come from the actual construction process, rather the treatment of workers. Reports have come out that payments of wages have been delayed, migrant workers have been exploited, and safety and health codes have been violated, causing the death of four workers. We'll know the names of the Olympians that win medals but no one will know the names that lost their lives building the Olympics.