The Vancouver Winter Olympics drew to a close on Monday (KST) after 17 days of intense competitions.

At the closing ceremony, athletes from around the world bid farewell to one another with a promise to meet again in four years in Sochi, Russia, the site of the next Winter Olympics.

South Korea finished fifth in medal standings with six golds, six silvers and two bronze medals --- the best performance for the nation in terms of overall ranking and the number of medals.

Host Canada topped the medal table 14 gold, seven silver and five bronze medals. Next came Germany with ten golds, followed by the United States and Norway which finished in a two-way tie for third with nine golds.

South Korea, which had collected most of its Winter sports medals in short-track skating before the Vancouver games, joined the ranks of speed skating powerhouses in Vancouver. South Korea's Kim Yu-na also won a gold medal in women's figure skating for the first time in its Winter Olympic history.

South Korean athletes will return home on Monday afternoon.