Journalist

Park Jong-ho
  • Heavy Snow Delays Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Final at 2026 Milan Games
    Heavy Snow Delays Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Final at 2026 Milan Games Heavy snowfall in the Italian Alps has postponed the women’s freestyle ski halfpipe final. Organizers said the final, scheduled for 3:30 a.m. Korean time on Feb. 22 at Livigno Snow Park, was delayed because of severe weather. The start time was moved to 6:40 p.m. the same day. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation said, “Due to heavy snowfall in Livigno, we determined it was impossible to prepare the pipe in a way that ensures a safe and fair competition,” adding, “Today’s competition was canceled.” Livigno, which hosted snowboarding and freestyle skiing events at these Games, has already seen weather-related disruptions. The women’s snowboard slopestyle featuring South Korea’s Yoo Seung-eun (Seongbok High School) and the men’s freeski halfpipe qualifying with South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon (Korea National Sport University) were postponed before eventually being held. South Korea’s Kim Da-eun (Kyung Hee University) and Lee So-young (Sangdong High School) competed in this event but failed to advance from qualifying, leaving no South Korean athletes in the final. With the final pushed back, the number of gold medals to be awarded on the last day of competition on local Feb. 22 increased to five from four. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-22 05:12:00
  • Hungary’s Kim Min-seok says he changed citizenship to keep skating career alive
    Hungary’s Kim Min-seok says he changed citizenship to keep skating career alive Kim Min-seok, a South Korean middle- and long-distance speedskater who changed citizenship to Hungary, said he made the decision to keep his career going.  Kim was eliminated after finishing 12th in the second semifinal heat of the men’s mass start at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milan speedskating stadium on Saturday (Korea time).   Afterward, he told reporters, “Skating was my whole life,” adding, “I decided it would be hard to continue my career if I couldn’t train for two years. I thought about it a lot.”  He said he “really loved” South Korea and agonized “day and night” because he had competed as a national team athlete, but added, “I loved skating more, so I looked for a way to keep competing.” Kim caused a drunk-driving accident in July 2022 at the national training center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province. In August, the Korea Skating Union’s Sports Fairness Committee suspended him for 18 months. In a May 2023 court ruling, he was fined 4 million won, and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee imposed a two-year suspension of his national team eligibility. He could have entered the 2025-2026 national team trials and still competed at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics as a South Korean athlete, but chose to change citizenship. He said he believed that if he went two years without training while unemployed, he would not be able to compete with national team status.  Lee Cheol-won, a South Korean coach with Hungary’s national skating team, proposed the switch, and Kim changed nationality along with short-track skater Moon Won-jun.  Kim did not post strong results at these Games. He finished seventh in his main event, the men’s 1,500 meters, placed 11th in the 1,000, and was eliminated in the mass start semifinals.  “I have no regrets because I gave everything I could,” he said. “I learned a lot through this competition, and I believe I can grow more.” He also said that, during preparations, he was able to train with the South Korean team thanks to consideration from South Korea head coach Baek Cheol-ki.  Kim became one of South Korea’s top speedskaters after winning a silver medal in the men’s team pursuit with Lee Seung-hoon (retired) and Jeong Jae-won (Gangwon Provincial Office) at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and a bronze medal in the men’s 1,500.  He called PyeongChang “an honorable stage” and said it would remain unforgettable. Looking ahead to the 2030 Alps Winter Olympics, he said, “Of course I’ll prepare,” adding, “I’ll work to stand on the podium again.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-22 04:06:00
  • Speed skater Jeong Jae-won finishes fifth in Olympic mass start, vows stronger push for 2030
    Speed skater Jeong Jae-won finishes fifth in Olympic mass start, vows stronger push for 2030 South Korea’s Jeong Jae-won, a leading long-distance speed skater, finished fifth in the men’s mass start at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics and said he will prepare even harder for the next Games. Jeong placed fifth in the final held at the Milan speed skating stadium on Saturday (Korea time). Midway through the race, Jorrit Berghsma of the Netherlands and Viktor Hald Thorup of Denmark increased the pace and broke away. Jeong, skating in the trailing group, could not close the gap. Berghsma won gold and Thorup took silver, with Jeong crossing the line in fifth. “It was a strategy we used a few times in the World Cup, so I thought I needed to latch on after the middle,” Jeong told reporters. “I tried to respond depending on the situation rather than forcing it, but it ended up being a disappointing result.” With no medal in the final, Jeong failed to win a medal at a third straight Olympics. He earned silver in the men’s team pursuit at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and won silver in the men’s mass start at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Jeong also said he felt the absence of Lee Seung-hoon, who competed with him at PyeongChang. Jeong, then a second-year student at Dongbuk High School, won team pursuit silver with Lee in 2018. “I was able to produce good results by sharing a lot of thoughts with Seung-hoon and learning his know-how,” Jeong said. “Without him at this competition, I don’t think I was able to prepare that way.” He added, “I really felt his absence and realized a lot. I’ll build more experience so I can become someone like him in the future.” Looking ahead to the 2030 Alps Olympics, Jeong said he would raise his level of preparation. “I thought I worked harder than anyone for this competition, but looking back, that was my own misconception,” he said. “I’ll prepare even more intensely until the next Olympics.” Jeong also noted that his wife attended the race. “She’s been through a lot,” he said. “I’m sorry and disappointed I couldn’t put a medal around the neck of my wife, who has been my support.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-22 02:24:00
  • Speedskater Jeong Jae-won finishes fifth in Olympic men’s mass start, misses third straight medal
    Speedskater Jeong Jae-won finishes fifth in Olympic men’s mass start, misses third straight medal South Korea’s Jeong Jae-won, a leading long-distance speedskater, finished fifth in the men’s mass start final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, falling short of a third consecutive Olympic medal. Jeong scored six points to place fifth among 16 skaters in the final at the Milan speedskating stadium, held Feb. 22 (Korean time). Dutch veteran Jorrit Bergsma won gold with 68 points. Denmark’s Victor Hald Thorup took silver with 47, and Italy’s Andrea Giovannini won bronze with 21. The mass start combines elements of speedskating and short track, with skaters starting together without lane assignments. The race is 16 laps, with sprint points awarded every four laps: three points for first, two for second and one for third. On the final lap, first earns 60 points, second 40 and third 20, with overall points determining the standings. Jeong won silver in the team pursuit at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and silver in the mass start at the 2022 Beijing Games. He also raised expectations this season by winning two silvers in the men’s mass start across ISU World Cup events 1 through 4. He advanced from semifinal heat 1 in third place with 21 sprint points, boosting hopes of a podium finish. In the final, Jeong stayed near the back early to conserve energy as Bergsma and Thorup pushed the pace from the start. The gap to the leaders grew to more than half a lap, and Indra Medard of Belgium, who had also been in the back, moved up as well. Bergsma and Thorup crossed the line in 7:55.00 and 8:00.52, respectively, to secure gold and silver. Jeong, described as more of a sprinter, surged late but could not close on the lead group and finished fifth. Jeong ended the Games with a 14th-place finish in the men’s 1,500 meters on Feb. 20 and fifth in the mass start. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-22 01:21:00
  • Kim Gil-li wins women’s 1,500m short track gold; Choi Min-jeong takes silver for record seventh Olympic medal
    Kim Gil-li wins women’s 1,500m short track gold; Choi Min-jeong takes silver for record seventh Olympic medal South Korea’s Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong won gold and silver in the women’s 1,500 meters in short track speedskating at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Kim finished first in 2:32.076 in the final at Milan’s Ice Skating Arena. Choi followed in 2:32.450 for silver. Corinne Stoddard took bronze in 2:32.578. The medal made Kim a two-time gold medalist at her first Olympics. She opened her Games with bronze in the women’s 1,000 meters and helped South Korea win the women’s 3,000-meter relay. She closed the short track program by winning the 1,500. Choi was seeking a third straight Olympic gold in the 1,500 after winning in Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022, but finished second. The silver was her seventh Olympic medal overall — four golds and three silvers — making her South Korea’s most decorated athlete across the Summer and Winter Games. She had been tied at six medals with Jin Jong-oh (shooting), Kim Soo-nyung (archery) and Lee Seung-hoon (speedskating). In the final, Kim and Choi started near the back. With seven laps remaining, Choi moved to the outside and advanced to second behind Stoddard. Kim accelerated with two laps left to move into third as Stoddard began to fade. With three laps remaining, Choi led and Kim was second. Kim passed Choi on the straightaway with two laps to go and held the lead to the finish. South Korea’s short track team ended the Games with two golds, three silvers and two bronzes, finishing second to the Netherlands (five golds, one silver and one bronze). 2026-02-21 07:03:00
  • South Korea wins silver in men’s 5,000-meter relay in Milan-Cortina short track
    South Korea wins silver in men’s 5,000-meter relay in Milan-Cortina short track South Korea’s men’s short track team won silver in the 5,000-meter relay at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, matching its result from the Beijing 2022 Games. In the final at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on Saturday morning in Korea, South Korea finished in 6:52.239. The Netherlands won in 6:51.847, and host Italy took bronze in 6:52.355. South Korea was seeking its first Olympic title in the event since winning gold at the 2006 Turin Games, but settled for second place again. South Korea skated in the order of Lee Jun-seo (Seongnam City Hall), Hwang Dae-heon (Gangwon Provincial Office), Lee Jeong-min (Seongnam City Hall) and Lim Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall). In the early laps of the 45-lap race, the team stayed near the back and waited for an opening. With 30 laps remaining, Italy increased the pace. With 24 laps to go, Hwang pushed and Lee Jeong-min passed to move South Korea into third. The team closed the gap, and with 18 laps left Lee Jeong-min drove inside to take second. Lim then helped keep the position steady. South Korea briefly moved into the lead when Lee Jeong-min passed the Netherlands on the inside with 13 laps remaining, and Lim and Lee Jun-seo extended the advantage. But with seven laps left, Hwang lost the lead to the Netherlands. With three laps to go, Lee Jun-seo dropped to third after Italy moved into second. South Korea kept attacking, and with two laps remaining Hwang surged on the outside to pass Italy and held on for silver. The relay silver was South Korea’s fifth short track medal of the Games and the team’s eighth overall. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 06:24:00
  • Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jeong and Noh Do-hee reach women’s 1,500 semifinals in Milan
    Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jeong and Noh Do-hee reach women’s 1,500 semifinals in Milan Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) and Noh Do-hee (Hwaseong City Hall) all advanced from the women’s 1,500-meter short track quarterfinals to the semifinals.  The three skaters earned their semifinal spots in races held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy on Feb. 21 (Korea time).  Kim was the first South Korean to skate, winning Heat 1 in 2:32.080. She stayed with Zhang Chutong of China near the front early, then moved up on the inside to take the lead and finish first. Zhang and Canada’s Kim Boutin also advanced from the heat.  In Heat 3, Choi placed second in 2:29.010 after a steady race. Belgium’s Dune Dulk opened a gap early, and Hungary’s Diana Laura Bégi briefly pushed Choi back to third with four laps left. Choi regained second with two laps remaining by passing Bégi, then nearly caught Dulk as the Belgian faded. Choi, Dulk and Italy’s Arianna Sighel advanced.  Noh advanced by finishing third in 2:25.17, though she expended extra energy after a restart. With five laps remaining, three skaters fell at the same time and officials ordered a rerun. During the incident, a skate blade from Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States appeared to brush the face of Poland’s Kamila Selier. Both were later disqualified for an illegal pass.  In the four-skater rerun, Noh held third and briefly took the lead before dropping back. She finished third behind Belgium’s Hanne Desmet and Italy’s Arianna Fontana to secure a semifinal berth.  2026-02-21 05:18:00
  • South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon Withdraws From Olympic Ski Halfpipe Final After Injury
    South Korea’s Lee Seung-hoon Withdraws From Olympic Ski Halfpipe Final After Injury Lee Seung-hoon of Korea National Sport University, the first South Korean to reach an Olympic freestyle ski halfpipe final, withdrew after injuring his knee in practice. Lee scored 76 points in men’s halfpipe qualifying on Feb. 20 (local time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. He placed 10th to advance to the final, where only 12 of 25 skiers qualified, but he was unable to compete because of the injury. Lee hurt his right knee when he struck the pipe wall while practicing an 1,800-degree spin he had prepared for the Olympics. He skipped the first final run and waited to see if the injury would improve, hoping to start in the second or third run, but ultimately withdrew and ended his competition. Halfpipe is judged on aerial tricks performed on a semicylindrical slope. Choi Ga-on won gold in snowboard halfpipe at these Games, South Korea’s first gold medal in a snow event. Lee competes in the ski halfpipe event and had drawn attention with strong recent results. He won South Korea’s first World Cup bronze medal in freestyle skiing in February 2024 in Calgary, Canada, and took gold in men’s halfpipe at the Harbin Asian Winter Games last February. At the Beijing Winter Olympics four years ago, he finished 16th in qualifying and did not reach the final. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 04:57:00
  • Cha Jun-hwan and Lee Hae-in invited to 2026 Milan Olympic figure skating gala
    Cha Jun-hwan and Lee Hae-in invited to 2026 Milan Olympic figure skating gala Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall) and Lee Hae-in (Korea University) will skate in the figure skating gala at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. The International Skating Union said it announced on Feb. 21 the seven women’s singles skaters selected for the gala, which will be held at 4 a.m. Feb. 22 (Korea time) at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy. The gala features medalists in men’s and women’s singles, pairs and ice dance, along with “special invitation” skaters chosen based on competition results and fan requests. Lee was named as a special invitee after placing eighth in women’s singles with 210.56 points. Her gala music selection is the theme song from the Netflix animated series “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” Cha, who finished fourth in men’s singles, had already been confirmed for the gala. His program is “Not a Dream,” performed by musician Song So-hee. With Lee added, two South Korean skaters will take part in the figure skating gala.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-21 04:33:00
  • Park Ji-woo, Lim Ri-won Finish 21st and 28th in Women’s 1,500 at Milan-Cortina Olympics
    Park Ji-woo, Lim Ri-won Finish 21st and 28th in Women’s 1,500 at Milan-Cortina Olympics South Korea’s Park Ji-woo (Gangwon Provincial Government) and Lim Ri-won (set to enroll at Korea National Sport University) finished in the lower half of the field in the women’s 1,500 meters. They skated in the final on Feb. 21 at the Milan speedskating stadium at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Park placed 21st in 1:58.26, and Lim was 28th in 1:59.73. Lim, skating in the third pair, went through the first 300 meters in 26.49 seconds, starting faster than Erura Groenewoud, but was passed after the midway point. It was Lim’s first Olympic race. She had originally qualified only for the mass start, but was added to the 1,500 after an opening in the field and was notified three days earlier that she could compete. Park raced Austria’s Shanin Rosner in the fifth pair and opened in 26.26 seconds for the first 300 meters. She held a slight edge early, but the gap grew in the closing laps as she finished 21st. Both skaters were preparing for the mass start later Feb. 21. The gold medal went to the Netherlands’ Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong in 1:54.09. Rijpma-de Jong, who won silver in the women’s team pursuit, earned her first gold of the Games to become a multiple medalist. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund took silver in 1:54.15, and Canada’s Valerie Maltais won bronze in 1:54.40. Japan’s Miho Takagi, the women’s 1,500 world record holder, finished sixth in 1:54.86. 2026-02-21 02:33:00