South Korea marched in the Olympic opening ceremony at the Bird's Nest, China's National Stadium, on Friday night.
The 389-member delegation included 267 athletes - 160 men and 107 women - who will participate in 25 out of 28 sports.
South Korea is favored for medals in archery, weightlifting, judo, taekwondo and table tennis.
In five of the past six Olympic Games, South Korea had ranked among the top 10 in the medals tally.
Four years ago, table tennis player Ryu Seung Min beat pre-tournament favorite Wang Hao of China to claim the men's singles gold medal in Athens, the match the Chinese team is still smarting from.
South Korean capital Seoul staged the 1988 Olympics, in which the host took 12 gold medals.
(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2008)