The 30th Olympic Games in London came to a close Monday at 5 a.m. Korean time, bringing an end to 16 days of athletics and high emotions.

Athletes from around the world entered the stadium in random order, different from the queue that was seen in the opening ceremony, and joined in the festivities.

The closing ceremony, themed “A Symphony of British Music,” showed viewers from around the world Britain’s musical history.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson handed over the Olympic flag to Eduardo da Costa Paes, mayor of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, which will host the next summer Olympic Games in 2016.

The South Korean team more than fulfilled its goal of finishing within the top ten with at least ten gold medals as it won 13 gold medals, eight silver and seven bronze medals, ranking fifth overall following the United States, China, Britain and Russia.

South Korea asserted its dominance in shooting and archery, snagging three gold medals for each sport, and claimed champion positions in judo, fencing, gymnastics, wrestling and taekwondo.

The South Korean men’s soccer team led by Coach Hong Myung-bo was awarded a bronze medal after beating Japan 2-0, and also stunned the British team in the quarterfinals with a victory.

North Korea also finished a successful Olympics with four gold and two bronze medals, matching its record set at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It finished 20th in the total medal tally.