SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) said Monday that a 165-member South Korean delegation is expected to grab at least 10 gold medals in the Winter Asian Games and defend the country's second place in the medal tally.

    A 165-member delegation, comprising 124 athletes and 41 officials, held a ceremony at Olympicparktel in southeastern Seoul Monday to officially launch the team for the Winter Asian Games set to open on Jan. 28.

    The KOC said the delegation will leave for the Winter Asian Games at China's northeastern city of Changchun on Thursday.

    In the 1999 and 2003 Winter Asian Games, Japan ranked first in the medal tally while South Korea ranked second.