Journalist

PARK, JONG-HO
  • South Korea Women’s Curling Beats Sweden 8-3 to Keep Semifinal Hopes Alive
    South Korea Women’s Curling Beats Sweden 8-3 to Keep Semifinal Hopes Alive South Korea’s women’s curling team known as “5G” kept its push for the semifinals alive by defeating Sweden in seven ends. World No. 3 South Korea — skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Kim Su-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun and fifth Seol Ye-ji — beat Sweden 8-3 in its eighth round-robin game of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on the 18th (Korea time) at the Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Sweden, the most successful nation in Olympic women’s curling, opened these Games with six straight wins and had already clinched a semifinal berth. After securing that spot the previous day, Sweden made a series of mistakes against South Korea. With the hammer in the first end, South Korea loaded three stones into the house, then Kim Eun-ji used the final stone to knock out Sweden’s second shot stone for three points. South Korea added one more in the second end after Sweden skip Anna Hasselborg missed her final draw. Sweden faltered further as the deficit grew to 4-0. In the third end, Hasselborg tried a double takeout with her seventh stone to remove two South Korean stones near the button but missed, and South Korea scored two to make it 6-0. South Korea added two more in the fourth for an 8-0 lead, then allowed one point in the fifth end. In the sixth, South Korea had a chance to score but chose to give up one to keep last-stone advantage for the next end, making it 8-2. Sweden scored one more in the seventh as it used a center-guard setup, but South Korea managed the end calmly. Sweden then offered handshakes, judging a comeback unlikely. South Korea improved to 5-3 in group play and will face Canada on the 19th in its final round-robin game, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-18 19:27:00
  • Cha Jun-hwan finishes fourth in Olympic men’s figure skating, best-ever for South Korea
    Cha Jun-hwan finishes fourth in Olympic men’s figure skating, best-ever for South Korea South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) finished fourth in men’s singles figure skating, closing out his third Olympics with the best result ever by a Korean man. Cha scored 181.20 points in the free skate at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan Ice Skating Arena, earning 95.16 in technical elements and 87.04 in program components, with a one-point deduction. He had scored 92.72 in the short program on Feb. 12, finishing with a total of 273.92 points for fourth place. Cha placed 15th at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, then improved to fifth in 2022. He moved up another spot this time. Skating 19th among 24 competitors, Cha performed his free-skate program, “Ballade for a Madman.” He opened with a clean quadruple salchow, but fell hard on his next jump, a quadruple toe loop, drawing a deduction. He recovered to land a triple lutz-triple loop combination and a triple axel to complete his first four jumping passes. He continued with a level-four step sequence and stayed composed in the second half, where elements receive a 10% bonus. Cha landed a triple flip-single Euler-triple salchow combination and a triple axel-double axel sequence. His change-foot combination spin was graded level three, and he finished his final jump, a triple flip, cleanly. He then completed the choreographic sequence, a level-four flying camel spin and a level-four flying change-foot combination spin. Afterward, he sat on the ice, showing disappointment. Cha’s 273.92 total left him behind gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan (291.58), Yuma Kagiyama (280.06) and Shun Sato (274.90), both of Japan. Cha missed the bronze by 0.98 points. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 07:24:00
  • Skeleton racer Jeong Seung-gi finishes 10th again at Milan-Cortina Olympics; Kim Ji-su 16th
    Skeleton racer Jeong Seung-gi finishes 10th again at Milan-Cortina Olympics; Kim Ji-su 16th South Korea’s Jeong Seung-gi (Gangwon Provincial Office) placed 10th in men’s skeleton for the second straight Olympics.  Jeong finished 10th at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, posting a four-run total of 3 minutes, 45.90 seconds at the Cortina Sliding Center. He also finished 10th at the 2022 Beijing Games.  Jeong was tied for eighth after the first two runs on Feb. 12. He clocked 56.19 seconds in the third run Saturday but slipped to 56.49 in the fourth, leaving him unable to close the gap to the leaders.  The result was disappointing, but Jeong competed after overcoming a serious back injury. He badly hurt his back during weight training in October 2024 and said he even felt symptoms of paralysis in his lower body, putting his career in jeopardy.  After rehabilitation, he returned with a fifth-place finish at the first World Cup event of the 2025-2026 season on the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic track. His start slowed after the injury, but he made up time on the run and again finished in the top 10 at the Olympics. Kim Ji-su (Gangwon Provincial Office), competing at the Olympics for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, finished 16th in 3:48.11. He posted 57.03 in the third run and 56.93 in the fourth, his first time breaking into the 56-second range.  Britain’s Matt Weston won gold in his Olympic debut, setting a track record in each of the four runs. Axel Jungk, the 2022 Beijing silver medalist, took silver in 3:44.21, 0.88 seconds back. Christopher Grotheer, the 2022 Beijing champion, won bronze in 3:44.40.  * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:48:00
  • Snowboarder Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Halfpipe Final
    Snowboarder Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Halfpipe Final South Korea’s top men’s snowboard halfpipe rider, Lee Chae-woon of Kyung Hee University, finished sixth in the Olympic final and said he will work harder “to stand on the highest spot on the podium.” Lee scored 87.5 points in the men’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, held Saturday in Korea. The 2023 world champion was aiming for a medal in his second Olympics but came up short. He made consecutive mistakes in his first and second runs and could not complete his routines. In his third run, he landed the triple cork 1620 he had prepared for the Olympics and delivered a clean, high-quality performance. The triple cork 1620 — a four-and-a-half-rotation trick — was reported to be the first time Lee has landed it in competition. Lee said he expected a higher score. “I thought it would be around 92 or 92.5,” he told reporters. “I think I came up short.” He added, “I’m proud of myself just for landing the first triple cork 1620. It’s disappointing, but I feel relieved,” and said that after the landing, “I first thought I had overcome the pressure and done it.” Lee said he had felt pressure after reaching World Cup finals throughout the season but failing to land a full run. “Just overcoming it and doing everything I could (at these Olympics) makes me proud,” he said. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Lee placed 18th in qualifying and did not reach the final. This time, he became the first South Korean man to advance to an Olympic snowboard halfpipe final. Born in April 2006, Lee said he will prepare for the next Olympics with even more training. “I worked really hard for this Olympics, but maybe it was only enough for me,” he said. “If tears of blood aren’t enough, I’ll shed blood, sweat and tears. For the next Olympics, I need to train more, as if I’m ready to die. I’ll work harder so I can stand on the highest spot on the podium.” Yuto Totsuka of Japan won gold, Scotty James of Australia took silver, and Ryusei Yamada of Japan won bronze. All three scored above 90 points.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:33:00
  • Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Misses Medals
    Lee Chae-woon Finishes Sixth in Olympic Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, Misses Medals Lee Chae-woon of Kyung Hee University finished sixth in the men’s snowboard halfpipe at the Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics. Competing at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, Lee scored 87.50 in the final to place sixth. He reached the final two days earlier by scoring 82 points in qualifying, placing ninth. In the final, Lee did not complete his first two runs. On his first run, he fell on his third hit while attempting a frontside triple cork 1620. On his second run, he lowered the third hit to a double cork 1440 but could not carry the run through the next jump. On his third and final run, Lee landed his signature triple cork 1620 (4.5 rotations) and also hit two double cork 1440s (four rotations). The run earned 87.50, but four riders had already posted 90-plus scores through the first two rounds, leaving him out of medal contention. Lee, who placed 18th at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and did not make the final, became the first South Korean man to reach an Olympic snowboard halfpipe final. Yuto Totsuka of Japan won gold with 95.00 points. Scotty James of Australia took silver with 93.50, and Japan’s Ryusei Yamada won bronze with 92.00. Japan has now won back-to-back gold medals in the event, following Ayumu Hirano in 2022.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 05:18:00
  • Lim Jong-eon, Shin Dong-min Draw Same Heat in Men’s 1,500 at Milan 2026
    Lim Jong-eon, Shin Dong-min Draw Same Heat in Men’s 1,500 at Milan 2026 South Korea’s Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) and Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) have been drawn into the same quarterfinal heat in the men’s 1,500 meters in short track speed skating. They will skate in Heat 5 on the morning of Feb. 15 at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, alongside Felix Roussel (Canada), Niall Treacy (Britain), Quentin Fercoq (France) and Nicholas Anderman (Austria). The top three finishers in each heat advance to the semifinals, along with the three fastest fourth-place finishers across the six heats. Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), the 2022 Beijing Olympic gold medalist, will compete in Heat 3 for a semifinal spot against Moon Won-jun (Hungary), a Korean-born naturalized skater, and Shaoang Liu (China), a Hungary-born naturalized skater, among others. Lin Xiaojun (Korean name Lim Hyo-jun), the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist, was placed in Heat 4 with Andrew He, Jens van ’t Wout (Netherlands) and Sun Long (China). The men’s 1,500 will be completed the same day, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final all scheduled. Draws were also released for the women’s 1,000-meter preliminaries, which will be held the same day. Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) will skate in Heat 5 against Kim Boutin (Canada), Chiara Betti (Italy) and Valentina Aschicic (Croatia). Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) will race in Heat 8. Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) will compete in Heat 2, including against Hanne Desmet (Belgium). A total of 32 skaters in eight heats will start the women’s 1,000. The top two in each heat advance to the quarterfinals, along with the four fastest third-place finishers across all heats. Only the preliminaries will be held that day. South Korea’s women will also skate in the women’s 3,000-meter relay semifinals that day, racing in Semifinal 2 against Canada, China and Japan. The top two teams advance to the final on Feb. 19.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 03:42:50
  • Skeleton Racer Hong Su-jeong Sits 22nd After Day 1 of Olympic Debut at Milan-Cortina
    Skeleton Racer Hong Su-jeong Sits 22nd After Day 1 of Olympic Debut at Milan-Cortina South Korea’s Hong Su-jeong (Gyeonggi Provincial Sports Council) finished in the lower half of the standings on the first day of her Olympic debut in women’s skeleton. Hong posted a combined time of 1 minute 57.33 seconds over two runs on Feb. 14 (Korea time) at the Cortina Sliding Center in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, placing 22nd overall. In her first run, Hong had a 4.97-second start and finished in 58.88 seconds. She matched that start time in the second run but improved her run by 0.43 seconds, finishing in 58.45 for the day. Hong ranked 22nd among 25 competitors, leaving her well off the medal pace. Austria’s Janine Flock led after two runs in 1:54.48, followed by Germany’s Susanne Kreher. Beijing 2022 gold medalist Hannah Neise was fourth in 1:54.85. Runs 3 and 4, which will determine the medals, are scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. on Feb. 15.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 03:33:00
  • Short-track bronze medalist Lim Jong-eon says he learned from snowboarder Choi Ga-on
    Short-track bronze medalist Lim Jong-eon says he learned from snowboarder Choi Ga-on South Korean short-track skater Lim Jong-eon, who won a bronze medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, said he learned a lot from watching snowboarder Choi Ga-on. Lim, who competes for Goyang City Hall, joined the national team’s official training session on Feb. 13 (Korean time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. After practice, he told reporters he returned to the athletes village after his race and watched Choi’s event. “Even though she faced a big setback during the competition, she fought through it to the end and won gold. I learned a lot from that,” Lim said. “Choi is younger than me, but she’s incredible,” he added. “I sincerely want to congratulate her and tell her she was amazing.” Choi and Lim both won medals on Feb. 13, with Choi taking gold and Lim earning bronze. Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park. She fell in her first and second runs and injured her knee, but delivered a clean third run to beat her “idol,” Chloe Kim of the United States, for the gold. At the same time, Lim captured bronze in the men’s 1,000 meters short track. He stayed near the back in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final before surging late to reach the podium. Lim now turns to the 1,500 meters. “Watching Choi made me think I need to do better,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure I can win gold in the 1,500 meters tomorrow.” He added that he had been “very tired and nervous” until two days earlier but now feels more relaxed. “With the confidence I’ve gained, I think I can get good results in the remaining races,” he said. The men’s 1,500 meters, Lim’s main event, will be held the morning of Feb. 15. He showed his potential by winning gold in the men’s 1,500 meters at the first International Skating Union World Cup of the 2025-2026 season, his senior debut. Asked about strategy, Lim said he made his move late and went to the outside lane in the 1,000 meters, and has another plan for the 1,500 that he cannot reveal. “I’ll challenge for gold with the strategy I’m most confident in,” he said. 2026-02-14 02:21:00
  • South Korea’s Choi Ga On Wins Olympic Snow Sports First Gold in Women’s Halfpipe
    South Korea’s Choi Ga On Wins Olympic Snow Sports First Gold in Women’s Halfpipe South Korea’s Choi Ga On (Sehwa High School) said she wants to “work even harder” and become an athlete who can surpass herself after winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in a snow event.  Choi won the women’s snowboard halfpipe final at Livigno Snow Park in Italy on Thursday (local time) with 90.25 points. She beat Chloe Kim of the United States, the gold medalist at the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Games. It was South Korea’s first Olympic gold in a snow sport and the first gold medal for the South Korean team at these Games. Choi fell on her first run when her board caught on the lip of the pipe while attempting a trick. She missed her landing again on the second run, putting her medal hopes in doubt. On her third run, she delivered her best performance, lowering the difficulty from the triple-rotation jump she tried earlier and instead landing a cab double cork 720 and a backside 900. The clean run earned 90.25 points and first place.  After the competition, Choi said, “I’m happy my first Olympic medal is a gold,” adding, “It’s also an honor to win the first gold for the South Korean team.”  Recalling her first-run crash, she said, “I fell pretty hard and thought I might have broken something and wouldn’t be able to get up,” but “I got my strength back in that moment and stood up.” She added, “I almost never fell in practice, but I think I made a mistake because I was nervous.”  Choi said she kept going because the Olympics had been her dream since she was 7. “Even if I fell, I thought I should finish to the end,” she said.  Asked about her tears on the podium, Choi said everything she had been through with her father and coach came to mind. “When I was injured, I wanted to give up, but I didn’t,” she said. “All of that suddenly came back to me.”  She said the Olympics were her biggest motivation. “I don’t think there’s been anything bigger than this,” she said. “I just believed in myself and thought I should try again.” She added, “I want to work hard at snowboarding and become an athlete who can surpass myself.”  To fans in South Korea, Choi said, “Thank you for believing in me and cheering for me,” adding, “I’ll keep working to show you an even better side of me.”  * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-13 07:45:00
  • Olympics Stars: Protégé to pioneer: Choi Gaons night of courage in Italy
    Olympics Stars: Protégé to pioneer: Choi Gaon's night of courage in Italy SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) -By any measure, it was a night that reshaped Korean snow sports. On a cold, wind-swept slope in northern Italy, 17-year-old Choi Gaon rose from pain, doubt and near withdrawal to seize Olympic gold — not just any gold, but South Korea’s first ever in a snow event — at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. She did it the hard way. The only way that truly lasts. After a frightening crash in her opening run and another failed attempt that left her visibly shaken, Choi stood on top of the halfpipe for her final descent with little left to prove — and everything left to risk. What followed was a composed, mature, technically clean run worth 90.25 points. It was the run of her life. And it was enough. Enough to deny her idol and mentor, Chloe Kim, a historic third straight Olympic title. Enough to rewrite Korean winter sports history. Enough to announce that a new era has arrived. For much of the night, it looked like Choi’s Olympic debut might end in heartbreak. Her first run ended in a heavy fall that brought medics onto the course. Her score: 10.00. Before her second attempt, “DNS” flashed beside her name. Few would have blamed her for stepping away. She didn’t. She dropped in again. Fell again. And still refused to surrender. By the time she stood in for her final run, she was no longer chasing medals. She was chasing herself — the athlete she had fought to become through back surgery, long rehabilitation and years in the shadow of her famous mentor. Conservative by her standards, precise by Olympic standards, her final run was a masterclass in judgment under pressure. While others struggled with slick, snowy conditions, Choi delivered when it mattered most. Veteran coaches call that “competitive intelligence.” Old reporters call it heart. Kim’s silver, earned with grace and dignity, closed one of snowboarding’s great Olympic chapters. Injured and short of competition this season, the American legend still showed her class. But even legends must eventually pass the torch. On this night, it passed to someone who once watched Kim on television and dreamed. Now, Choi is the youngest women’s halfpipe gold medalist in Olympic history — younger than Kim was in PyeongChang — and the face of Korea’s next generation of winter stars. The symbolism was unavoidable: the student surpassing the teacher, not in defiance, but in fulfillment. Choi’s triumph is part of a larger awakening. Just days before Choi’s dramatic breakthrough, 18-year-old Yu Seung-eun had already signaled that Korea’s snowboarders were ready for something bigger. Yu captured bronze in women’s big air at Livigno. For years, Korea’s winter ambitions revolved around skating and short track. Snowboarding lived on the margins, sustained by a handful of pioneers. A generation raised on global competition, overseas training and fearless ambition is now delivering results on the biggest stage. 2026-02-13 07:42:35