The 13th Paralympics has opened in Beijing for a 12-day run.

The opening ceremony was held Saturday in the iconic "Bird's Nest" National Stadium under the themes "One World, One Dream" and "Transcendence, Integration, Equality."

Some 7,300 athletes from 148 nations will compete for 472 gold medals in 20 sports.

A large group of foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Chinese President Hu Jintao, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo.

Korea will be represented by 77 athletes in 13 events and aims to finish in the top 14 in medal count.