Journalist
Lee Hugh
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South Korea mixed doubles curling team falls to Czech Republic for fifth straight round-robin loss South Korea’s mixed doubles curling pair Kim Seon Yeong (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Yeong Seok (Gangwon Province Office) lost again in round-robin play at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, dropping their fifth straight match. Kim and Jeong fell 9-4 to the Czech team of Julie Zelingrova and Vit Havlicovsky on Friday (Korea time) at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. South Korea had previously lost 10-3 to Sweden, 8-4 to Italy, 8-5 to Switzerland and 8-2 to Britain. The defeat to the Czech Republic left the team at the bottom of the standings. Ten teams are competing in mixed doubles, with one man and one woman per team. After a round-robin in which each team plays the others once, the top four advance to the semifinals and final to determine the medals. South Korea gave up two points in the first end. With last stone in the second, it had a chance for a big score but managed only one point. The team tied it 2-2 in the third by stealing a point after a precise freeze shot. The Czech Republic pulled away in the fourth, taking two points for a 4-2 lead, then stole two more in the fifth after Jeong missed his final shot. Trailing 6-2, South Korea used its one power play of the game in the sixth end and scored two to close the gap, but surrendered three in the seventh and lost 9-4. Kim and Jeong are scheduled to play the United States at 3:05 a.m. Saturday.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 00:42:00 -
South Korea’s Lee Ui Jin, Han Da Som Fail to Finish Women’s Skiathlon at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korean cross-country skiers Lee Ui Jin (Busan Metropolitan City Hall Sports Council) and Han Da Som (Gyeonggi Provincial Government) failed to finish their events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Competing in the women’s 10km + 10km skiathlon at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Tesero, Italy, on Feb. 7 (Korea time), Lee covered 13.3 kilometers in 43:37.8 and Han 11.8 kilometers in 41:19.4 before both were pulled after being lapped. Under skiathlon rules, athletes who are caught by the leaders by a full lap are removed from the race. Both South Koreans reached the midpoint but were lapped afterward, falling short of their goal of finishing in the top 50. Lee passed the halfway mark in 22nd out of 70 but was overtaken as rivals surged in the freestyle portion. Lee and Han were listed 54th and 64th. Nordic powers dominated the medals. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson won gold in 53:45.2, followed by teammate Ebba Andersson in 54:36.2. Norway’s Heidi Weng took bronze in 55:11.9. The 10km + 10km skiathlon combines two techniques: classic skiing in set tracks and freestyle skating. Athletes switch from classic to freestyle at the midpoint. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 23:15:00 -
Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen wins first gold of Milan-Cortina Olympics in men’s downhill Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen won the first gold medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking the men’s downhill on Friday at the Stelvio Ski Center in Bormio, Italy. Von Allmen finished in 1 minute, 51.61 seconds to beat 33 other starters. Born in 2001, he won gold in his first Olympic race. “It feels like a scene from a movie. It doesn’t feel real,” he said after the race. “It’s hard to put into words what this gold medal means to me. I think it will sink in a few days after the Games are over.” Von Allmen has competed on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup since 2023 and has five World Cup downhill wins across last season and this season. He also won the men’s downhill title at the Alpine skiing world championships in Saalbach, Austria, in February last year. He arrived in strong form after winning the final pre-Olympics World Cup downhill on Feb. 1 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Switzerland have now won back-to-back Olympic men’s downhill golds, following Beat Feuz at the 2022 Beijing Games. Host nation Italy took silver and bronze in the first medal event of the Olympics. Giovanni Franzoni was second in 1:51.81, and Dominik Paris was third in 1:52.11. Swiss skier Marco Odermatt, who leads the men’s overall standings this season with three downhill wins, three giant slalom wins and two super-G victories, placed fourth in 1:52.31. 2026-02-07 21:27:00 -
South Korea’s culture minister says Milan Olympics opening ceremony felt “thrilling” South Korea’s culture minister, visiting venues for the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he felt “thrilled and proud” after attending the opening ceremony. Choi Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, visited the Olympic Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcast Center (IBC) at the Allianz MiCo convention center in Milan on Friday morning local time, meeting and encouraging South Korean reporters covering the Games. “I attended the opening ceremony the day before, and you really feel something on site,” he said. “When the South Korean team marched in, I felt thrilled and proud.” Choi arrived in Italy on Feb. 4 and attended the opening ceremony at San Siro Olympic Stadium as the South Korean government’s representative. South Korea sent a 130-member delegation and entered 22nd among 92 national Olympic committees, led by flag bearers Cha Jun-hwan (figure skating) and Park Ji-woo (speed skating). Choi said he waved at the athletes as they entered the stadium and later saw himself on the broadcast. “I was just happy to see them and only clapped, but later I saw the camera caught me,” he said. “If I’d known, I think I would have held a Taegeukgi.” On Feb. 5, Choi visited a meal-support center in Milan and attended the opening of Korea House at Villa Necchi Campiglio. He said athletes had expressed disappointment with meals at the athletes village and hoped the meal-support center would open. “I tried it myself, and it was good,” he said, adding that heated lunch boxes will be introduced to help athletes. Choi planned to visit the Milan ice skating arena Friday afternoon to cheer for Cha during the men’s singles short program in the figure skating team event. He is scheduled to return to South Korea on Saturday after completing his itinerary. Choi also said he plans to visit the site again for the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, which open March 6. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 21:00:00 -
Korean crypto exchange Bithumb's bitcoin flop draws regulatory scrutiny SEOUL, February 07 (AJP) -South Korea’s financial authorities moved swiftly Saturday after a major operational error at crypto exchange Bithumb led to the mistaken distribution of hundreds of thousands of bitcoins, triggering market volatility and raising fresh concerns over risk management in the digital asset sector. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) convened an emergency meeting at the Government Complex Seoul, chaired by Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-young, with officials from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and industry representatives. Bithumb Chief Executive Lee Jae-won attended the session. Kwon said the incident exposed the vulnerabilities and risks inherent in virtual assets, calling for a rigorous assessment of user losses and close monitoring of Bithumb’s compensation efforts. Regulators also formed an emergency task force with the FIU, FSS and the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance, or DAXA, to oversee follow-up measures. The task force will conduct on-site inspections at Bithumb and extend reviews to other exchanges, examining asset custody practices and internal control systems. Any illegal activity uncovered during the process will prompt immediate formal investigations, authorities said. Officials are also considering upgrades to monitoring systems to allow real-time oversight of exchanges’ asset holdings. The FSC said it would link the response to ongoing efforts to draft the second phase of Korea’s virtual asset legislation, including proposals to mandate regular third-party audits of crypto holdings and impose strict liability on exchanges for customer losses caused by system failures. Earlier in the day, the FSS dispatched an inspection team to Bithumb’s headquarters to examine the cause of the accident, user protection measures and the feasibility of recovering misallocated assets. According to industry sources, the incident occurred during a promotional “random box” event on Friday evening, when a staff member mistakenly entered “BTC” instead of “Korean won” as the payment unit. As a result, rewards totaling 620,000 won intended for 249 users were erroneously paid out as 620,000 bitcoins. The exchange said it immediately suspended transactions and withdrawals on affected accounts at around 7:40 p.m. and began recovery efforts. Bithumb reported that it had recovered 618,212 bitcoins and reclaimed about 93 percent of the remaining coins sold by users, leaving roughly 125 bitcoins unrecovered. The sudden inflow of coins led some users to sell aggressively, briefly dragging down the bitcoin price on the platform. Compensation and reforms Bithumb estimates customer losses linked to the incident at around 1 billion won ($750,000). In a statement, CEO Lee acknowledged that panic selling during the price dip had caused unfavorable trades for some users. The company said it will compensate affected investors by refunding their full trading losses plus an additional 10 percent. Users who sold bitcoin at depressed prices between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. will receive automatic payouts within a week after data verification. All customers logged into the platform during the incident will also receive 20,000 won in compensation. In addition, Bithumb plans to waive trading fees across all markets for one week following a separate announcement. To strengthen safeguards, the exchange said it will establish a 100 billion won customer protection fund and implement a series of reforms, including enhanced asset verification systems, reinforced multi-level approval procedures, improved AI-based abnormal transaction detection, and regular external audits. “I sincerely apologize and take full responsibility,” Lee said. “We will do everything necessary to ensure that no customer suffers losses.” Financial authorities said the case underscores the need for stricter oversight as crypto assets become more embedded in the financial system. The FSS will continue to examine whether Bithumb’s response adequately protected users and whether a full recovery of the misallocated bitcoins is feasible. The incident is likely to accelerate regulatory efforts to tighten controls on exchanges and reinforce accountability, as policymakers seek to prevent similar disruptions in the fast-growing digital asset market. 2026-02-07 19:28:02 -
Many Russian-Born Athletes Compete at Milan-Cortina Olympics After Switching Nationalities Although Russia, stripped of eligibility by the International Olympic Committee, sent 13 athletes to the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), the number of Russian-born competitors at the Games appears to be far higher. The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 6 that many Russian-born athletes competing in Milan-Cortina changed nationality after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, concerned that nationality issues could block their Olympic medal hopes. Olympic historian Bill Mallon estimated about 40 Russian-born athletes are competing at these Olympics, more than triple the number entered under AIN status. Most are representing countries near Russia, including Kazakhstan, Armenia and Georgia, the report said. All three members of Moldova's biathlon team were born in Russia, making up more than half of Moldova's five-athlete delegation. Moldova is a small Eastern European country between Romania and Ukraine. About two-thirds of Georgia's delegation is also Russian-born, the WSJ said. It includes ice dancers Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin, who competed for the Russian Olympic Committee at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. The newspaper said they had tried to skate for the United States but ultimately chose Georgia. In figure skating, long seen as a Russian strength, many Russian-born athletes have also switched nationalities. They are now spread across the teams of Australia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. In pairs, 28% of competitors are Russian-born. Some have criticized the nationality switches. Dmitry Vasiliev, a Russian biathlete, said, "You have only one homeland — the place you were born," adding, "Russians feel comfortable only in Russia," according to the report. IOC President Kirsty Coventry has also suggested Russia's ban could be lifted. In a speech to the IOC session on Feb. 3, Coventry did not mention Russia directly but said, "We are a sports organization," and stressed that sport should remain a neutral arena. The New York Times noted her remarks came as the IOC recently allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2026 Dakar Summer Youth Olympics, and as FIFA President Gianni Infantino argued Russia should return to international competitions. The NYT described the comments as a sign of a possible return for Russia, a sports power that has been sidelined for more than a decade, saying Russia's isolation in international sports may soon end.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 19:21:00 -
Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan named top 'most handsome' male athlete for 2026 Milan Olympics list South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) has been picked as the No. 1 “most handsome” male athlete among competitors set to appear at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Vogue Hong Kong published a roundup on Thursday (local time) titled “2026 Milan Winter Olympics: 13 most handsome male athletes,” saying it was looking at standout male athletes representing countries around the world and releasing its ranking. The magazine placed Cha, a leading name in South Korea’s men’s singles program, at the top. It described him as having “sharp lines” and a “restrained” presence with a “clean, cool” look, adding that he “transforms into a completely different person” the moment he steps onto the ice. Vogue Hong Kong also noted Cha’s background as a child actor and model, saying his experience in front of the camera helps him deliver a polished performance. It said it expects “clean quad jumps” and “bolder step sequences” from him at the Games. Cha made his Olympic debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, finishing 15th in men’s singles. He climbed to fifth at the 2022 Beijing Games and is preparing for this Olympics with a medal as his goal. Others named on Vogue Hong Kong’s list included Norway cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Japan snowboarder Ayumu Hirano, Hungary-born short-track skater Shaoang Liu, who competes for China, France ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, Italy men’s singles skater Daniel Grassl and U.S. men’s singles skater Ilia Malinin. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 18:27:00 -
Naver CEO apologizes after glitch exposes anonymous Q&A histories of 15,000 public figures SEOUL, February 07 (AJP) - Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon issued a formal apology after a software update inadvertently exposed the anonymous question-and-answer histories of about 15,000 celebrities, athletes and politicians registered on the platform's people search database. The breach, which occurred between Feb. 3 and 4 during a routine update to Naver's "Knowledge iN" Q&A service, caused links to users' past anonymous activity to surface in public search results, triggering widespread privacy concerns across South Korea. Personal queries and responses that prominent figures had posted under the assumption of anonymity were laid bare to the public, fueling a backlash over what critics called a serious violation of user privacy on the country's dominant search engine. "We sincerely apologize for the distress caused to our users," Choi said in a public notice posted on Friday, adding that the company had fully rolled back the update by 10 p.m. on Feb. 4 and that the same error would not recur. Naver said it had preemptively reported the incident to the Personal Information Protection Commission, South Korea's data privacy watchdog, and pledged to cooperate fully with any ensuing investigation. The company has also sent individual apology emails to all affected users. The tech giant vowed to conduct a sweeping review of its service protocols to prevent a repeat of the breach, with Choi emphasizing the company would take "a responsible stance" in containing further fallout for those affected. 2026-02-07 16:56:53 -
Norovirus spreads at Milan-Cortina Olympics, Swiss women’s hockey player tests positive Norovirus infections are spreading at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, following a cluster in Finland’s women’s ice hockey team and a new case in Switzerland’s women’s team. The AP reported that one Swiss women’s player tested positive for norovirus and that the entire team was placed in isolation, causing them to miss the Olympic opening ceremony. The player returned a positive test after Switzerland’s game against the Czech Republic on Feb. 6. Finland’s women’s team was hit ahead of the opening. As a result, its game against Canada that had been scheduled for Feb. 5 was postponed to Feb. 12. At the time, 13 Finnish players were isolated, leaving only eight skaters and two goalies able to take part in training. With the number in isolation later dropping to nine, Finland trained with 11 skaters and three goalies. Finland is expected to play the United States as scheduled on Feb. 8. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-07 16:36:00 -
BTS comeback D-42: Band sets Tottenham stadium attendance record with 120,000-seat sellout SEOUL, February 07 (AJP) - BTS has achieved the highest occupancy rate for a single concert at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, concert promoter Live Nation UK said on Saturday. The seven-member band will perform before about 120,000 fans over two nights on July 6 to 7 in London, with tickets for both shows sold out. The performances will feature a 360-degree stage configuration at the 62,000-capacity venue. The stadium, home to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, has hosted concerts by artists including Stray Kids, Beyonce and Travis Scott since opening. The world tour begins April 9 at Goyang Stadium in South Korea, where all ticketed shows have sold out, according to reports. BTS will hold a comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on March 21, which will be livestreamed to about 190 countries on Netflix. The group's pre-release single has topped Spotify's "Countdown Chart Global" for three consecutive weeks ahead of their fifth studio album "Arirang." 2026-02-07 14:33:43