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  Short-track skater Kim Gil-li targets individual gold after relay win at Milan Olympics Kim Gil-li, who won gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay in short track, said she wants to add an individual title as well. After official training at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 19, Kim said she is aiming for two gold medals. “I’m hungry for two titles,” she said. “After the team event, I want to go for gold in the individual races, too.” South Korea’s women’s team won the 3,000-meter relay final, with Kim skating the anchor leg and finishing a late comeback. With her bronze me February 19, 2026
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  Choi Min-jung Begins Training for 1,500 Meters After Olympic Relay Gold After winning the women’s 3,000-meter relay in short track to claim her fourth career Olympic gold, Choi Min-jung of Seongnam City Hall will race the 1,500 meters on Feb. 21, aiming to set a new South Korean record for most Olympic medals across the Summer and Winter Games. Choi is scheduled to compete at 4:15 a.m. Feb. 21 (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. A gold medal in the event could rewrite South Korea’s Olympic record book. Choi won gold in the women’s 1,500 met February 19, 2026
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  Men’s Ski Halfpipe Qualifying at Milan 2026 Postponed by Heavy Snow The men’s freestyle ski halfpipe qualifying was postponed because of heavy snow. Olympic organizers said the qualifying round, originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (Korea time) on Thursday, was pushed back 24 hours to 6:30 p.m. Friday. South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon and Moon Hee-sung, both of Korea National Sport University, were set to compete. Halfpipe is judged on aerial tricks performed on a semicylindrical course. In the women’s event, Choi Ga-on of Sehwa High School previously won So February 19, 2026
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  Mercedes-Benz Korea to Launch Direct Online Sales as Imported Brands Expand Fixed-Price Model Imported carmakers are moving away from dealer-led sales toward online direct-to-consumer models. Following Tesla, brands such as Polestar, Honda and Volvo (for new vehicles) have expanded direct sales, and industry No. 2 Mercedes-Benz is set to introduce its own system in the first half of this year. Supporters say cutting distribution margins and price markups could expand the overall market, while critics warn it could weaken dealer-built service networks and hurt consumers. According February 19, 2026
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  Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li and Noh Do-hee draw 1,500 quarterfinal heats at Milan Olympics South Korea’s women’s short track team will return to the ice in the 1,500 meters, aiming for another gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. The quarterfinal heat draws were announced on Feb. 19 (Korea time). Kim Gil-li, who won bronze in the women’s 1,000 and gold in the 3,000 relay, was placed in Heat 1. She will race Canada’s veteran Kim Boutin, the Netherlands’ Michelle Velzeboer, China’s Zhang Chutong, Croatia’s Valentina Aščić and Poland’s Natalia Maliszewska. February 19, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor speeds up robotaxi push as it expands physical AI strategy Hyundai Motor Group, which has drawn attention in the AI race with its humanoid robot Atlas, is also accelerating its robotaxi business as it pushes to commercialize “physical AI.” After demonstrating the potential of humanoid robots in factories and logistics sites, the group is expanding into autonomous driving to speed up its vision of AI that operates in the real world. Industry officials said Feb. 19 that Hyundai is developing autonomous driving on two tracks rather than merging every February 19, 2026
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  Hyundai to Supply 20 More Ioniq 5 Robotaxis in U.S., Expanding Physical AI Push Hyundai Motor Group is expanding robotaxi supply in the United States, accelerating its autonomous-driving business built around what it calls “physical AI.” The automaker is supplying vehicles not only to its self-driving unit Motional, which is preparing to commercialize robotaxis this year, but also to Google-owned Waymo as it seeks a bigger role in the U.S. autonomous-driving ecosystem. After drawing attention at CES 2026 in Las Vegas last month with the humanoid robot “Atlas,” Hyundai February 19, 2026
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  Volvo S90 and XC90 Sales Jump in South Korea After New Models Begin Deliveries Volvo’s flagship S90 sedan and XC90 SUV are posting rising sales in South Korea. Volvo Car Korea said on the 19th that since full-scale deliveries of the new S90 and XC90 began in July last year, sales have increased 57.5% and 95.5%, respectively, compared with the first half of the year. The S90 is the brand’s flagship sedan, combining Volvo technology with the lifestyle the company says it aims to deliver. It measures 5,090 millimeters in length with a 3,060-millimeter wheelbase, whic February 19, 2026
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  Naver Pay payment outage resolved after 3.5 hours; cause under review Naver Pay said its payment service was restored about 3 hours and 30 minutes after an outage disrupted transactions. The company said it does not believe the problem was caused by an external factor such as hacking, but added that it is still investigating the exact cause. Naver Pay said an error occurred in its payment system at about 12 p.m. on the 19th and that it completed an emergency restoration at about 3:30 p.m. The outage temporarily halted services including checking and using February 19, 2026
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  Hanwha Ocean Signs Canada Shipyard, College Deals to Expand Naval, Workforce Ties Hanwha Ocean said it has set up a cooperation framework with Canada’s Ontario Shipyards and Mohawk College to help strengthen Canada’s shipbuilding competitiveness and train skilled workers. The company said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario Shipyards in Toronto on Feb. 18 for strategic cooperation. It also signed a three-way strategic cooperation letter of intent with Ontario Shipyards and Mohawk College. Canadian members of Parliament Aslam Rana, Chris Bittle, John February 19, 2026