Once a rebellious hobby, Korea’s snowboarding breaks through with two stunning medals so far

When Yu Seung-eun, 18, stepped onto the Olympic podium Monday night, the moment carried far more meaning than a single medal. On her Olympic debut, she became the first South Korean woman to win an Olympic medal in skiing or snowboarding, capturing bronze in the women’s snowboard big air at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games and signaling the arrival of a new generation of Korean snow sports. Big air is a freestyle discipline judged on difficulty, execution and style, rewarding creativity and r

Feb. 10, 2026

Teenager gives S. Korea 2nd snowboard medal

South Korea won a medal in snowboard for the second straight day at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday, with the 18-year-old Yu Seung-eun claiming the bronze medal in the women's big air event. By scoring 171.00 points -- the sum of her two best scores after three attempts at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, north of Milan -- Yu became the first South Korean woman to win an Olympic medal in snowboard. This was the second snowboard medal for South Korea and its second medal, period, followi

Feb. 10, 2026

S. Korea loses to Norway to close out mixed doubles curling tournament

MILAN -- South Korea lost its final match of the mixed doubles curling tournament at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Monday. Kim Seon-yeong and Jeong Yeong-seok lost to Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten of Norway by 8-5 at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, some 400 kilometers northeast of Milan, to close out the round-robin stage. South Korea finished the competition with a 3-6 record. It lost its first five matches before winning the next three. Kim and Jeong look

Feb. 9, 2026

From childhood asthma to Olympic late bloomer, South Korea's first medal in 2026 is true underdog story

When speculation swirled over who would deliver South Korea's first medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, few imagined the answer would be Kim Sang-kyum: a 37-year-old snowboard Alpine veteran who had spent most of his career far from the spotlight. The snowboarder secured a shocking silver medal in the men's parallel giant slalom event on Sunday. After advancing through his first two knockout rounds when his opponents failed to finish, Kim edged Bulgaria's Tervel Zamfirov by 0.23 second i

Feb. 9, 2026

S. Korea enters medal race with stunner in snowboard

South Korea entered the medal race of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday, the second day of action after the opening ceremony, as the alpine snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum came through with a shocking silver medal. Kim finished in second place in the men's parallel giant slalom event at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, about 140 kilometers north of Milan, for South Korea's first medal of this year's Winter Games. In the final, Kim lost to the defending champion from Austria, Benjamin Karl, by 0

Feb. 9, 2026

Mixed relay final part of short track's 1st day

The short track speed skating competition of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will begin Tuesday, with the first set of medals to be awarded in the mixed team relay. South Korea has won more short track gold medals than anyone in Olympic history with 26, but the powerhouse crashed out of the quarterfinals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games when the mixed team relay made its debut. The mixed team relay is 2,000 meters long, or 18 laps, and countries will each have two female and two male skaters.

Feb. 9, 2026

Snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum wins silver for Korea's 1st medal

Alpine snowboarder Kim Sang-kyum captured a shocking silver medal in the men's parallel giant slalom for South Korea's first medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. After winning his first two knockout races when his opponents failed to cross the finish line, Kim defeated Tervel Zamfirov of Bulgaria by 0.23 second in the semifinals before losing to Benjamin Karl of Austria by 0.19 second in the final at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, some 230 kilometers north of Milan. Kim, 37, beca

Feb. 9, 2026

South Korea enjoys 2nd straight win in mixed doubles curling

South Korea defeated Estonia for its second consecutive victory in the mixed doubles curling tournament of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. Kim Seon-yeong and Jeong Yeong-seok beat Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill of Estonia 9-3 at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, some 400 kilometers northeast of Milan. Kim and Jeong lost their first five round-robin matches before beating the United States 6-5 on Saturday. And the South Korean duo built on that momentum, jumping out

Feb. 8, 2026

Snowboard medal hopeful Lee Sang-ho reaches knockouts in men's parallel giant slalom

South Korean snowboard medal hopeful Lee Sang-ho advanced to the knockout round in the men's parallel giant slalom at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday. In the qualification stage, Lee ranked sixth with a combined time of 1:26.74 after two runs down the slope at Livigno Snow Park in Livigno, some 230 kilometers north of Milan. Lee is the 2018 Olympic silver medalist in this event and remains the only South Korean to win an Olympic medal in a snowboarding or a skiing event. He was elimi

Feb. 8, 2026

S. Korea beats U.S. for 1st win in mixed doubles curling

South Korea upset the United States for its first victory in the mixed doubles curling tournament of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, snapping its five-match losing streak in the process. Kim Seon-yeong and Jeong Yeong-seok defeated Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of the United States by the score of 6-5 in an extra end at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, some 400 kilometers northeast of Milan. South Korea remained in last place with a 1-5 record, having earlier

Feb. 8, 2026

Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan vows to be better after shaky showing in team event

While cheering for fellow South Korean figure skaters in the team event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, Cha Jun-hwan received a healthy dose of positive energy. He wanted to return the favor Saturday in his short program at Milano Ice Skating Arena but couldn't quite deliver, as a failed double axel cost him some valuable points. Cha settled for eighth place among 10 skaters with 83.53 points, some eight points shy of his season best. "I wanted to give my teammates energy but I w

Feb. 8, 2026

Winter Games begin with opening ceremony in multiple locations across northern Italy

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games kicked off Friday with an opening ceremony taking place simultaneously in multiple locations across northern Italy, an unprecedented setup necessitated by the geographic spread of the competition. With a celebration of Italy's culture, creativity and beauty, along with a tribute to a message of peace and dialogue, the Milan-Cortina Winter Games began with some 2,900 athletes from 92 countries spread over an area of about 22,000 square kilometers -- making this the m

Feb. 7, 2026

Ice dancers rank 7th after rhythm dance in figure skating team event

The ice dance duo of Hannah Lim and Quan Ye placed seventh out of 10 teams in the rhythm dance portion of figure skating's team event at the Winter Olympics here on Friday. Lim and Quan scored 70.55 points in their Olympic debut at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan. The two scored 39.54 points in the technical element score, which evaluates twizzles, step sequences and lifts, and earned 31.01 points in the factored components score, which looks at skaters' overall presentation. Their score was a

Feb. 6, 2026

Enhypen's Sunghoon carries torch at 2026 Winter Olympics

Sunghoon of Enhypen, a former figure skater, carried the Olympic torch for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, set to open Friday, according to his agency Belift Lab. The area near Milan’s Bolivar Station, where Sunghoon ran his segment of the torch relay, drew fans from around the world. As Sunghoon began his run after receiving the flame, crowds moved with him along the route. He marched for about 20 minutes with residents and fans, smiling and waving, before passing the torch to

Feb. 6, 2026

[Graphic News] S. Korea’s key events at Winter Games

The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the 25th edition of the Winter Games, will begin with an opening ceremony Friday at San Siro Stadium in Milan, officially launching the competitions that run through Feb. 22 across venues in northern Italy. The ceremony will carry the theme “Armonia” ("harmony") and feature performances and artistic segments designed to showcase Italian culture. According to reports from Korean media and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, South Korea’s Olympic delegatio

Feb. 6, 2026