About 200 young writers from 18 countries will gather in PyeongChang this week for a humanities forum designed to drum up interest in the Winter Olympics.

The 2018 PyeongChang Humanities Forum will be held in Seoul and PyeongChang from Jan. 19-22 under the theme, “New generation writers talk about peace: for a world full of nature, life and peace,” the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

The forum will be co-hosted by the Seoul National University and the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea.

South Korean novelist Kim Yeon-su and Turkish writer Hakan Gunday will make keynote speeches on peace and literature during the opening ceremony at a Seoul hotel on Friday.

Participants will then discuss the value and meaning of peace for two days at SNU’s Doosan Humanities Building on Saturday and PyeongChang Hanwha Resort on Sunday.

Among the international writers invited to the forum are Vagif Sultanly of Azerbaijan, Ricardo Chavez of Mexico, Khaled Hroub of Palestine, Huynh Trong Khang of Vietnam, Dalmira Tilepbergenova of Kyrgyzstan and Metin Turan of Turkey.

On Sunday, the participants will take a tour of South Korea’s frontline areas in Paju near the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas, and the venues for the PyeongChang Olympics. A common “peace declaration” is expected before the Forum closing ceremony.