Journalist
Lee Hugh
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Hwang Dae-heon, Shin Dong-min Reach Men’s 1,500 Semis in Milan Olympics; Lim Jong-eon Out Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office) and Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) advanced to the men’s 1,500-meter short track semifinals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Hwang won quarterfinal heat 3 on Feb. 15 (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, finishing first among six in 2:23.283. In the men’s 1,500 quarterfinals, the top three finishers from each of six heats advance, along with the three fastest fourth-place skaters. The 1,500 is South Korea’s most successful men’s Olympic short track event. South Korean men have won Olympic gold in the race four times: Turin 2006 (Viktor Ahn, then Ahn Hyun-soo), Vancouver 2010 (Lee Jung-su), Pyeongchang 2018 (Lin Xiaojun, then Lim Hyo-jun) and Beijing 2022 (Hwang). Hwang, seeking a second straight Olympic title in the event, advanced along with Shaoang Liu of China (2:23.370) and Shogo Miyata of Japan (2:23.454), who finished second and third in the heat. In heat 5, Shin finished in a tie for second in 2:17.365 to move on, but Lim Jong-eon fell on his own during the race and finished last, missing the semifinals. Lim, who earlier won bronze in the 1,000 at these Games, was also aiming for a medal in the 1,500 but was eliminated. Lin, who competed for South Korea before switching nationality to China in 2020, also failed to reach the semifinals in his main event. He previously placed fourth in the mixed 2,000 relay and was eliminated in the 1,000 quarterfinals. The men’s 1,500 semifinals are scheduled to begin at 5:49 a.m. shortly after.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 05:03:00 -
Speedskater Kim Jun-ho Finishes 12th in Olympic 500 Meters, Still Seeking First Medal South Korea's top sprint speedskater Kim Jun-ho (Gangwon Provincial Office) again came up short of an Olympic medal in his fourth appearance at the Games. Kim finished the men's 500 meters at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in 34.68 seconds at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium on Saturday (Korea time), placing 12th among 29 skaters. He has had near misses in each of his previous Olympic starts. He placed 21st at the 2014 Sochi Games, and was 12th at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games after his skate blade caught in the ice just after the start. The 2022 Beijing Games were his closest call. Kim was sixth in 34.54, just 0.04 seconds behind Wataru Morishige of Japan, who won bronze. Kim entered these Olympics with momentum after winning one gold and two bronze medals on the International Skating Union Speed Skating World Cup circuit, but he could not carry that form into the 500. In an earlier pairing, Gu Gyeong-min (Sports Toto) finished 15th in 34.80. American Jordan Stolz won gold in an Olympic-record 33.77, giving him his second title of the Games after the 1,000 meters. Jenning de Boo of the Netherlands took silver in 33.88, and Canada's Laurent Dubreuil won bronze in 34.26.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 02:54:00 -
Naturalized South Korean biathlete Abakumova finishes 58th in Olympic sprint Naturalized South Korean Yekaterina Abakumova placed 58th in the women’s 7.5-kilometer biathlon sprint at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Racing on Feb. 14 (Korea time) at the Antholz biathlon arena in Rasun-Antholz, Italy, Abakumova finished in 23 minutes, 18.3 seconds. She was 58th among 91 competitors. Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. It became an official Olympic sport at the 1992 Albertville Games. Abakumova, a former Russian youth national team member, became a naturalized South Korean in 2016. At the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, she finished 16th in the women’s 15km individual, the best Olympic result ever for South Korea in biathlon. At the 2022 Beijing Games, she placed 73rd in the 15km individual and 49th in the 7.5km sprint. At the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games, Abakumova won gold in the women’s 7.5m sprint, becoming South Korea’s first biathlon gold medalist. In her third Olympics, Abakumova sought a stronger showing but again finished in the middle to lower ranks. She also placed 63rd in the 15km individual on Feb. 11. France’s Julia Simon won gold in 41:15.6. France’s Lou Jeanmonnot took silver in 42:08.7, and Bulgaria’s Laura Hristova won bronze in 42:20.1.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 01:54:00 -
Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen Wins Giant Slalom Gold, South America’s First Winter Olympic Medal Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen became South America’s first Winter Olympic medalist. Braathen won gold in the men’s giant slalom at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Feb. 14 (Korea time), posting a combined time of 2 minutes, 25.00 seconds over two runs at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy. It was the first Winter Olympic medal by an athlete from a South American nation since the Games began in 1924. Born to a Brazilian mother and a Norwegian father, Braathen competed for Norway at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. He ended his career as a Norwegian national team skier ahead of the 2023 season and began representing Brazil in 2024. Last year, he became the first South American athlete to reach the podium in an International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Alpine Ski World Cup. He followed that with South America’s first Olympic medal in winter sports. South Korea’s Jeong Dong-hyeon (High1) finished 33rd with a combined time of 2:35.41. Jeong, the oldest member of South Korea’s team at these Games, has now competed in five straight Olympics, starting with the 2010 Vancouver Games.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 00:21:00 -
Yoon Shin-yi Eliminated in Round of 32 in Olympic Dual Moguls Yoon Shin-yi of Bongpyeong High School saw her run end in the round of 32 in women’s freestyle skiing dual moguls at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Yoon lost to Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Galysheva on Friday (Korean time) at the Aerial Moguls Park in Livigno, Italy, and did not advance. The score was 6-29. It was Yoon’s Olympic debut, while Galysheva was competing at her fifth Olympics. Moguls are judged on turn precision over bumps about 1 meter high, aerial maneuvers, landing stability and time, with both speed and technical execution reflected in the score. Dual moguls, added as an official event at these Games, features two skiers racing down the course at the same time. In earlier women’s moguls qualifying, Yoon scored 59.40 points in the first run (21st) and 64.46 in the second (24th).* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 21:36:00 -
Choi Gaon rallies to win Olympic women’s halfpipe gold at Milan-Cortina 2026 Choi Gaon of Sehwa High School, who overcame injury pain and fear of failure to pull off a comeback victory, said the competitive drive she developed while training with older teammates helped her push through. Choi, who delivered South Korea’s first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics by winning the women’s snowboard halfpipe, spoke about the final and her reaction at a news conference Friday at Korea House in Milan. In Thursday’s final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Choi scored 90.25 to beat Chloe Kim of the United States, who had 88.00. After falling in her first two runs, she raised her score on the third to seal the win. The victory made Choi the first South Korean skier to win Olympic gold. She also broke the event’s youngest Olympic gold medal record set by Kim at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. “When I get back to Korea, I’m going to have a pajama party with my friends,” Choi said. She added a message for younger athletes who may dream of snowboarding: “The most important thing is to ride and enjoy it.” Recalling her injury, Choi said being taken away on a stretcher would have meant withdrawing. “I asked for a little time, then tried to move my foot, starting by putting strength into my toes,” she said. “Thankfully, I was able to compete again.” Asked about her next goals, she said she did not show her best performance at these Olympics. “Rather than a far-off goal, I’ll work to become a better athlete than I am right now,” she said. Choi is the third of four siblings and first tried snowboarding with her family as a child. In 2017, at age 9, she drew attention after appearing on a TV program as part of a “snowboard family.” She later pursued the sport seriously and has been a leading member of the national team since the 2023-2024 season.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 20:54:00 -
Gree Denies Military Law Violation Claim Over 'Radio Star' Appearance Broadcaster Kim Gura’s son, Gree, has addressed criticism over his appearance on the TV show “Radio Star.” A video titled “Certain Victory! Gree says hello after a long time (+Jo Young-gu update) [Kim Gura Economic Research Institute EP.85 - Gree episode” was posted Friday on the YouTube channel “Greegura.” In the video, Kim said there had been controversy because Gree appeared on “Radio Star” shortly after being discharged. “He was discharged at 9 and passed through the gate, and we thought he was a civilian,” Kim said. “But under Defense Ministry regulations, until 12 that day he was still considered a service member, even though he was also a civilian.” Gree said that is why service members can still face a military trial if they cause trouble on the day they are discharged. He said the rule is meant to keep recently discharged troops from thinking they are completely free and then drinking heavily or getting into accidents. He said he did not violate rules barring service members from engaging in for-profit activities because “Radio Star” was filmed with prior approval. “I think the controversy happened because some people didn’t know that,” he said. Gree also addressed claims he got on the show because of his father. “Of course it’s true it was easier because my father is an MC,” he said. “But the production team wanted that kind of setup, so they invited me.” Kim said the misunderstanding was easy but stressed there was no behind-the-scenes arrangement. “ ‘Radio Star’ isn’t a program where you take a number and wait,” he said. “I found out about Dong-hyun’s filming later, and there was no prior coordination.” Gree said he was contacted about the appearance during his first month as a sergeant, noting that sergeants now serve four months. He said he decided to appear after being told it would be good for his first broadcast to be on “Radio Star.” Gree enlisted voluntarily in the Marine Corps in July 2024 and was discharged on 2026년 1월 28일. He drew criticism after appearing on “Radio Star” about four hours after reporting his discharge. Some online commenters argued that under Civil Act Article 159, a discharged soldier becomes a civilian starting the next day — meaning he would still be considered a service member on the day of discharge — and questioned whether the appearance violated rules against service members’ for-profit activities. The Marine Corps previously told multiple media outlets that the appearance was approved by the unit under Defense public relations guidelines.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 20:36:00 -
Comedian Kim Ji-seon Says She Moved to a First-Floor Home Over Noise Complaints Broadcaster Kim Ji-seon said she once moved to a first-floor home after repeated complaints about noise between floors. A video titled "What did Sunwoo Yong-yeo say to Kim Ji-seon after she moved to a new home?" was posted Feb. 13 on the YouTube channel "Eom Sso." In the video, Kim called Sunwoo. After seeing the living room, Sunwoo asked, "Why do you have so many refrigerators?" Kim replied, "I have four kids, so I have four refrigerators," drawing laughs. Kim also told Sunwoo she would invite her over later, adding, "I can’t move anymore. It’s too hard." Sunwoo responded, "Then moving is over now. I’m going to die in this house, too," prompting more laughter. Kim introduced a sofa with a trampoline function that she said she bought for her children. "If the kids don’t use up all their energy, they find a way to burn it off at home and then sleep," she said, adding that many mothers often say, "Don’t run — you’ll bother the downstairs neighbors." Kim said that while raising her children, downstairs neighbors came to complain about noise, and she ended up moving to a first-floor unit. She said she was told, "If you were going to have four kids, you should have moved to the first floor. How could you come to a high floor?" She said her family turned off the lights at 9 p.m. no matter what, but complaints still came in saying the kids were running at 2 a.m. "I was so stressed back then," she said. "Now they’ve all grown up, so there aren’t any kids running around." In October, another video featuring Kim was posted on the YouTube channel "Soonpoong Sunwoo Yong-yeo" under the title "First reveal of Kim Ji-seon’s luxury home with a wide-open view of the Han River." From the terrace, Kim said, "What’s so great about this place is the million-dollar view — it’s like a hotel." She added, "When the air is good, you can see the mountain ridges all the way out." She also said she would be moving after a month because the contract was finalized, adding that the home was a jeonse lease. Kim won the grand prize at the 1990 KBS Comedy Talent Contest. She married a non-celebrity in 2023 and has three sons and one daughter. Her second son is active as a rapper under the name Siba.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 19:15:00 -
Toss, Naver Pay Roll Out Lunar New Year Deals on Gifts, Holiday Food and Travel Fintech platforms are rolling out Lunar New Year promotions, from holiday gifts and traditional foods to overseas travel perks. According to the financial industry on the 14th, Toss is running Lunar New Year gift and food promotions on its commerce platform, Toss Shopping, through the 15th. The Lunar New Year gift promotion includes about 200 items, with discounts of up to 87% off regular prices. Products priced at 50,000 won or less make up about 68% of the lineup. Featured items include “Seogwipo direct-shipped, sweetness-graded Jeju tangerines,” “Pungnyeonbogam 6-year Korean red ginseng extract All Day Good Time,” “Rucipello toothpaste and mouthwash gift set (six items),” and “Merchant collagen eye cream for wrinkle care and brightening.” The Lunar New Year food promotion covers about 100 items, offering discounts of up to 77%. Items priced at 20,000 won or less account for 67% of the selection. Toss said it is focusing on easy-to-prepare options for holiday tables and family meals, including tteokguk ingredients and seasonal foods. The lineup ranges from rice cakes for tteokguk, beef-bone broth, dumpling tteokguk meal kits, and ready-to-eat soups and stews to holiday ingredients such as seasoned greens, pancake ingredients, japchae, Korean beef and other meats, and seafood. Traditional snacks such as songpyeon, injeolmi, chapssaltteok and yakgwa are also included. Featured items include “Midji Meat LA galbi,” “Susan Eats frozen pollock fillets,” and “Korean bracken that requires no trimming.” Naver Pay has also prepared promotions for users traveling overseas during the Lunar New Year holiday period. Its “Overseas Travel 10% Payback” promotion, which returns 10% of spending made via Npay Overseas QR and the Npay Money Card as points, runs through June. For users whose mobile carrier is KT, those who apply for the event and then sign up for a roaming plan and make at least 20,000 won in overseas QR payments will receive a 10,000 won roaming fee discount and 10,000 points. Naver Pay also offers instant discounts for QR payments at Alipay+ and PayPay merchants, including airports, drugstores and shopping malls in mainland China and Japan.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 18:03:00 -
U.S. maritime plan allows initial ship construction in Korea SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - The White House on Friday unveiled the “America’s Maritime Action Plan” (MAP), a sweeping strategy to revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry that explicitly signals cooperation with South Korea and Japan. It is widely seen as laying out the blueprint for the so-called MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) initiative discussed during Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations. The U.S. government states in the report published on the White House website that "it will consult with China on shipbuilding capacity issues and continue its historic cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan on revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding." The document makes clear that Washington aims to pursue two goals simultaneously: counter China’s dominance in maritime industries and restore U.S. domestic shipbuilding capabilities, positioning allied cooperation as a strategic pillar in that effort. ‘Bridge Strategy’ allows initial construction abroad A key component of the plan is a so-called “Bridge Strategy,” under which early vessels in a multi-ship contract may be built at a foreign partner’s shipyard, while concurrent capital investments are made in a U.S. shipyard to eventually onshore construction. The MAP describes the concept as a “multi-ship buy wherein the first ships in the contract are built in a foreign shipbuilder’s home shipyard while concurrent direct capital investments are made in a U.S. shipyard … to eventually onshore construction.” Given that the United States currently builds less than one percent of global commercial ships and has limited large-vessel construction capacity, the strategy effectively allows allies such as South Korea and Japan to build initial orders while investing in U.S. facilities, with production gradually shifting to American soil. For Korean shipbuilders, this could open an exceptional pathway to construct early vessels domestically while securing financial incentives tied to U.S. shipyard investment. $150 billion secured for shipbuilding The MAP states that President Donald Trump has secured “at least $150 billion of dedicated investment for America’s shipbuilding industry,” adding that the Department of Commerce “is working to mobilize these funds to achieve the greatest investment in U.S. shipbuilding history.” The $150 billion figure is widely interpreted as corresponding to the shipbuilding-focused package under the MASGA framework, part of the broader $350 billion investment commitments discussed in last year’s Korea-U.S. trade agreement. While the plan opens potential avenues for Korean shipbuilders to participate in early-stage production and U.S. yard investment, it also signals a longer-term shift toward onshoring ship construction and strengthening U.S.-flagged shipping capacity. Industry analysts say the practical impact will depend on how aggressively Washington implements port fees, cargo preference rules and onshore investment requirements in the coming years. Foreign-built vessels face new fees under MAP The MAP also includes measures that could significantly raise costs for foreign-built vessels calling at U.S. ports, potentially affecting Korean shipping and export firms. Under the proposal, Washington would “establish a universal infrastructure or security fee on all foreign-built commercial vessels calling at U.S. ports,” calculated based on the weight of imported cargo. According to the report, a fee of 1 cent per kilogram could generate approximately $66 billion over a decade, while a 25-cent levy could raise as much as $1.5 trillion. The revenue would be directed toward a newly proposed Maritime Security Trust Fund to support U.S. shipbuilding and port infrastructure. The administration also plans to impose a 0.125 percent Land Port Maintenance Tax on goods entering through land borders, effectively applying the levy to exports routed via Canada or Mexico, in line with the Harbor Maintenance Tax on maritime imports. The plan further calls for expanding cargo preference requirements through a new United States Maritime Preference Requirement (USMPR), which would gradually increase the share of U.S.-bound cargo transported on qualifying U.S.-flagged vessels. Taken together, the measures are designed to reduce reliance on foreign-built and foreign-flagged ships while bolstering domestic maritime capacity. However, industry observers warn that the new framework could pressure Korean shipping lines and raise logistics costs for exporters, particularly given that a large share of vessels serving U.S. routes are built in South Korea, Japan and China. 2026-02-14 18:02:33