Kim Sang-gyeom wins snowboard silver, South Korea’s first medal at Milan-Cortina 2026 South Korean alpine snowboard veteran Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) won his country’s first medal of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, taking silver in the men’s parallel giant slalom. Kim finished second in the final on Feb. 8 at Livigno Snow Park in Italy, losing to Austria’s Benjamin Karl by 0.19 seconds. It marked South Korea’s first Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding since Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) won silver in the same event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Kim’s result also made him the winner of South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal across the Summer and Winter Games. Kim advanced to the round of 16 after placing eighth in qualifying with a combined time of 1 minute, 27.18 seconds over two runs. The knockout rounds were decided in single-elimination races from the round of 16 through the final. In the round of 16, Kim trailed Slovenia’s Zan Kosir until Kosir fell midrace. In the quarterfinals, Italy’s Roland Fischnaller — the top-ranked rider in this season’s International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup parallel giant slalom standings — went off course late, sending Kim through. Kim then beat Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov by 0.23 seconds in the semifinals. Lee, a medal contender, was eliminated in the round of 16, losing to Austria’s Andreas Prommegger by 0.17 seconds. Lee qualified sixth and led early before being passed after the midway point. 2026-02-08 23:06:00

Snowboarder Kim Sang-gyeom clinches silver, South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 22:30:00

Snowboarder Lee Sang-ho Eliminated in Round of 16 at Milan-Cortina Olympics; Kim Sang-gyeom Reaches Semifinals South Korea had mixed results in the men’s snowboard parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, with Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) eliminated in the round of 16 and Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) advancing to the semifinals. Lee lost to Austria’s Andreas Prommegger by 0.17 seconds in the round of 16 on Feb. 8 (local time) at Livigno Snow Park in Italy. In parallel giant slalom, two riders race side by side. The top 16 from qualifying advance to a single-elimination bracket to decide the final standings. Lee reached the knockout round after placing sixth in qualifying with a combined time of 1 minute, 26.74 seconds across two runs. But he could not hold an early edge against Prommegger, a 1980-born veteran who qualified 11th. Lee won silver in the event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, South Korea’s first Olympic medal in skiing and snowboarding. After a quarterfinal exit at the Beijing Games, he again fell short of the podium, ending his third Olympic campaign. Kim advanced to the quarterfinals when Slovenia’s Zan Kosir fell during their round-of-16 race. Kim then beat Italy’s Roland Fischnaller in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 22:09:00

Lindsey Vonn Crashes in Olympic Downhill After Returning From ACL Tear Alpine skiing star Lindsey Vonn of the United States, who chose to compete at the Olympics despite being diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, crashed during the race and was airlifted to a hospital by medical helicopter. Vonn failed to finish the women’s downhill at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday (local time) at the Tofane Alpine Ski Center in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, after an early accident. Starting 13th, Vonn struck a gate in the opening section, lost her balance and fell. She remained down for a time before on-site medical staff assessed her and called a medical helicopter to take her to a hospital. Athletes and spectators at the venue watched the crash on the video board. U.S. skier Breezy Johnson, who was leading at the time, was seen covering her face. Vonn is one of the sport’s top downhill racers. She won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She retired in 2019 but returned ahead of the 2024-2025 season to prepare for these Olympics. She remained competitive after her comeback, posting two wins, two runner-up finishes and three third-place results on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup circuit this season. But on Jan. 30, she injured her left knee on a jump landing at a World Cup event in Switzerland and was diagnosed with a torn ACL. Despite the injury, she opted to compete at the Olympics and completed local training as scheduled, but her race ended with Saturday’s crash.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 20:42:00

South Korea’s Kim Sun Young-Jeong Yeong Seok beat Estonia 9-3 for second straight mixed doubles win South Korea’s mixed doubles curling team followed a five-game skid with a second straight win, continuing a late turnaround in round-robin play. Kim Sun Young (Gangneung City Hall) and Jeong Yeong Seok (Gangwon Provincial Office) beat Estonia’s Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill 9-3 on Saturday (local time) in their seventh round-robin game at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics. After beating the United States a day earlier for their first victory, South Korea improved to 2-5 in the round robin. South Korea jumped ahead early, scoring three in the first end and adding two more in the second. Estonia got one back in the third, but South Korea capitalized on an error in the fourth to score two and extend the lead to 7-1. In the fifth, Kim’s final shot limited the damage to one point. South Korea then scored two in the sixth with the hammer to seal the result. In mixed doubles, 10 teams play a round robin and the top four advance to the semifinals. South Korea sit low in the standings after their early losing streak, leaving their semifinal chances slim. Kim and Jeong are scheduled to play their final two preliminary games Sunday against Canada and Norway.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 19:48:00

Lee Sang-ho qualifies sixth for Olympic men’s parallel giant slalom finals Lee Sang-ho (Nexen Wingard) advanced to the finals of the men’s parallel giant slalom at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, qualifying sixth as he pursues a second Olympic medal. Lee posted a combined time of 1 minute, 26.74 seconds across two qualifying runs on Saturday at Livigno Snow Park in Italy to secure a spot in the knockout rounds. In parallel giant slalom qualifying, 32 riders each make one run on the blue and red courses, with the top 16 on combined time moving on. The finals begin at 9:24 p.m. South Korean time in a single-elimination round of 16. Lee, the silver medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, is aiming to rebound after a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Another medal would be South Korea’s 400th Olympic medal across the Summer and Winter Games. In his first run, Lee raced against 45-year-old Italian veteran Roland Fischnaller, who has three International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup wins this season and leads the rankings. Lee clocked 43.21 seconds on the blue course, finishing fourth among the 16 riders on that course despite some shaky sections. Switching to the red course for the second run, Lee rode alongside Zan Kosir of Slovenia and finished in 43.53 seconds, sealing his place in the finals on combined time. Kim Sang-gyeom (High1) also advanced, placing eighth at 1:27.18. Cho Wan-hee (Jeonbuk Ski Association) missed out in 18th at 1:27.76. In the women’s event, Jung Hae-rim (High1) finished 31st at 1:40.55 and did not advance.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 19:27:00

Seoul bourse ranks 8th in global market cap rank, up 2 notches from Dec SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market has climbed to eighth place globally by valuation upon sustaining double-digit gains into the new year on the back of strong momentum in semiconductor and tech shares. According to the Korea Exchange, the combined market capitalization of the KOSPI, KOSDAQ and KONEX stood at 4,799.36 trillion won ($3.6 trillion) at Friday’s close, slightly edging Taiwan’s total of 4,798.68 trillion won as well as Germany. The World Federation of Exchanges rank placed South Korea at the 10th worldwide as of December last year, trailing the United States, China, the European Union, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Canada, Taiwan and Germany. The Seoul bourse moved up by two notches on frenzied buying in chip stocks upon record earnings confirming a semiconductor supercycle. The benchmark KOSPI, hosting memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix has surged about 21 percent as of Friday, marking the strongest performance among major global indices. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ has gained nearly 17 percent, ranking third worldwide in year-to-date returns. Germany’s DAX index and Taiwan’s weighted index so far in the year gained 0.94 percent and 9.73 percent, respectively. Despite last week's correction, analysts are still buoyant about upward momentum. NH Investment & Securities perceives the KOSPI has yet to reach the peak of its current cycle, raising its 12-month target to 7,300 from 5,500. JPMorgan also raised target to 7,500 from 6,000. 2026-02-08 18:50:53

Stars Chase Winter Olympics Record of Eight Gold Medals at Milan-Cortina Games As the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics get underway, attention is turning to star athletes chasing the all-time record for most Olympic gold medals in Winter Games history. The Winter Olympics gold-medal record is eight, held by biathlon great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and cross-country skiers Bjoern Daehlie and Marit Bjoergen, all of Norway. Bjoerndalen also owns the Winter Olympics record for most total medals with 15. Several active athletes are aiming at those marks. Norway’s Johannes Klaebo is considered a leading contender. He won five gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Games and is entered in six events this time, seeking both multiple titles and a record. He also backed up his form by winning six golds at last year’s world championships. Germany’s Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, who compete in men’s doubles luge, are also in the hunt. Across Sochi, Pyeongchang and Beijing, they swept men’s doubles and the team relay, giving each athlete six Olympic gold medals. They will try for a fourth straight Olympics with two golds and a share of the all-time record. Other athletes are chasing sport-specific milestones. China’s Gu Ailing is aiming to become the first freestyle skier to win a fourth Olympic medal. At the Beijing Games, she won two golds and a silver. In snowboarding, Chloe Kim of the United States (halfpipe) and Austria’s Anna Gasser (big air) are each trying to become the first in their events to win three straight Olympic titles. In bobsled, Germany’s Francesco Friedrich is seeking a third consecutive double in the two-man and four-man events. American Kaillie Humphries, competing in her fifth Olympics, is also chasing a record, aiming to break the mark for most women’s bobsled gold medals, currently four. Among South Korean athletes, short-track speed skater Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall) is viewed as a record contender. She has three Olympic gold medals and two silvers. If she adds another gold, she will tie Chun Lee-kyung for the most Winter Olympics gold medals by a South Korean athlete with four. If she wins two more medals of any color, she would surpass the South Korean record for most total Olympic medals across Summer and Winter Games, currently six and jointly held by Jin Jong-oh, Kim Soo-nyung and Lee Seung-hoon. 2026-02-08 18:42:00

South Korea’s Fast-Track Rule Opens Door for AI Medical Devices, Raising Oversight Questions A new system allowing certain “immediate market entry” medical technologies to be used in clinics without a separate new health technology assessment is reshaping South Korea’s artificial intelligence medical device sector. The lower barrier is expected to expand the size and competitiveness of K-AI medical devices, but debate remains over safety verification and accountability. Industry officials said 113 of the 199 device items covered by the immediate-entry system are digital medical devices that include AI-based standalone software. Companies have welcomed what they call an opening of the AI medical device market, expecting faster commercialization to spur research and development and attract outside investment. Park Chang Min, president of the Korean Society of Medical Artificial Intelligence and a radiology professor at Seoul National University Hospital, said the move reflects urgency as competitors such as the United States and China move quickly. “It can improve access to innovative technology for patients and clinicians, and give breathing room to domestic medical AI companies facing financial strain,” he said. A medical device industry official said it was “clearly positive” that shortened procedures improve conditions for new entrants. Another industry official said companies may face higher expectations: “As the review period shrinks, the standards regulators demand will rise. The change is both an opportunity and pressure.” Clinicians and patient-safety advocates raised broader concerns. Jeon Jin Han, policy director at the Association of Doctors for Humanism, said AI has already been a major beneficiary of early-entry policies such as deferrals of new health technology assessments. “The key issue is that medical technologies that have not gone through the new health technology assessment are hard to view as sufficiently verified for safety and effectiveness,” he said, adding that approval by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety does not itself mean clinical effectiveness has been proven. The system is intended to introduce and use strong medical technologies earlier. Critics warn that skipping the new health technology assessment — which can take up to 250 days — and allowing market entry based only on ministry approval could lead to adverse outcomes such as misdiagnosis. Some experts also called for separate standards for generative AI-based medical devices. In a report, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute said generative AI medical devices need new evaluation criteria that consider potential indications, and that a management system is essential to monitor adverse events in real time and update products continuously. The government said it is putting procedural safeguards in place. Seong Hong Mo, director of the medical device policy division at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, said AI medical devices already undergo strict review of safety and effectiveness at the approval stage, and that companies and medical institutions are required to report adverse events. Seong said a separate oversight system is also in place for AI model updates. Under the Digital Medical Products Act that took effect last year, he said, companies must seek approval again if key performance or intended use changes significantly. Experts said the policy’s success will depend on tighter post-market controls. Park said a clear mechanism must work to remove technologies from the market if they fail to prove effectiveness in clinical use or if misuse or side effects are confirmed. “Speed and safety are separate issues,” he said, adding that lower entry barriers must be paired with strong post-market monitoring and a clear exit structure.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-08 18:33:00

More South Korean firms to offer five-day Lunar New Year break as outlook brightens SEOUL, February 08 (AJP) - A new survey shows that more than six out of ten South Korean businesses plan to observe a five-day holiday for the upcoming Lunar New Year. The findings also indicate that the number of companies reporting a decline in economic conditions has dropped significantly compared to last year, suggesting a recovery in business confidence. The Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) released the results of its Lunar New Year Holiday Survey on February 8, after polling 447 companies nationwide with five or more employees. The data shows that 64.8 percent of these firms will close for five days. This year's holiday period stretches from the weekend of February 14 and 15 through the official public holidays of February 16 to 18. Among the respondents, 26.1 percent plan to offer four days or fewer, while 9.2 percent will provide six days or more. For the companies offering these extended breaks, 59.4 percent stated they were following mandatory requirements set by collective bargaining agreements or internal employment rules. Larger firms with 300 or more employees were notably more likely to offer longer breaks, with 22.7 percent providing at least six days off, compared to just 7.6 percent of smaller businesses. Regarding holiday pay, 58.7 percent of companies said they will provide a Lunar New Year bonus, a slight decrease from 61.5 percent last year. Among those paying out, 66.3 percent will issue them as regular bonuses, 28.6 percent as separate discretionary bonuses, and 5.2 percent will provide both. For the businesses opting for discretionary bonuses, 85.7 percent intend to keep the amounts consistent with last year's levels. The survey highlights a shift in how businesses view the current economic climate. While 55.6 percent of respondents described the situation as "similar to the previous year," the proportion of companies stating the economy had "worsened" fell to 39.5 percent. This is a sharp decline from the 60.5 percent who reported a worsening economy during the same period last year. The KEF also gathered projections for the current fiscal year. Roughly 50.9 percent of the surveyed firms expect their operating profits to increase compared to last year, while 36.0 percent anticipate a decrease. The data reflects the prevailing mood in the field as companies prepare for one of South Korea's most significant traditional holidays. Local businesses appear to be leaning toward a more stable outlook even as they manage holiday bonus distributions. 2026-02-08 18:28:55