"Drunk Driving + Collision of the sidewalk block" 韓 Olympic medalless Korea, naturalized as if running away → Gear entered Milan... "I won't get a medal"

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Min-seok (27), a speed skating medalist who was naturalized for Hungary after leaving South Korea for drunk driving, will finally return to the Olympic stage under the Hungarian flag. However, in Hungary, Kim Min-seok is unlikely to win a medal.

Hungarian media 'Nemjeti Sports' reported on the outlook for the 2026 Milan and Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics on the 3rd (Korea time) that "Kim Min-seok's chances of increasing the number of medals in Hungary at this Olympics are very low."

The media then said, "Kim Min-seok secured the men's 1,000m and 1,500m quotas. He also expressed doubts about his performance, saying, "He is likely to play in the third place on the preliminary list in the mass start."

"Nemjeti Sports" pointed out, "A year ago, we could have made a very different evaluation of Kim Min-seok," adding, "His performance, which was fantastic until last year, has fallen sharply this season."

"The leaders are also looking for the cause of poor performance, but they have not made a significant change in their training methods due to time constraints," he said. "Kim Min-seok needs a miracle to recreate the form of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics or the 2022 Beijing Olympics in Milan."

Earlier, Kim Min-seok won three medals at the PyeongChang and Beijing Winter Olympics, dominating the Korean ice scene.

However, Kim Min-seok went downhill sharply due to a moment of wrong choice. In July 2022, he was severely suspended for one year and six months and two years of suspension for the national team due to an accident in which he hit the boundary stone of the sidewalk block after driving under the influence of alcohol in Jincheon National Training Center. As his participation in the 2026 Olympics was virtually blocked, he chose to naturalize in Hungary in July 2024.

At the time of naturalization, Kim Min-seok said in a local media interview, "It's completely my fault to drive drunk," but "I had no choice but to choose Hungary, which gave me a hand when I couldn't stand on the ice for three years."

In addition, Kim Min-seok said, "The Korean Skating Union said it would give me a chance to participate in the 2026 Olympic national team selection match, but how can I prepare for the Olympics when I can't even stand on the ice for three years. I went to Hungary because my team had no income," he said, explaining the background of naturalization.

The presence of coach Eric Lee (Lee Chul-won), who leads the Hungarian national team, was crucial. "When I thought I lost everything, Eric Lee, who has been a Hungarian coach for three years, gave me a chance to train short track," Kim Min-seok said. "Thanks to my brother, I was able to get back on my feet." I am truly grateful to the Hungarians for accepting me," he said.

As for the incident, "I drank, I drove. It won't happen again, and I've gotten rid of the car after the incident."

Kim Min-seok built his body by training for the Dutch international skating team and completed a three-year grace period for nationality change according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) regulations and qualified for the event.

However, Hungary's expectations for Kim Min-seok seem to have already cooled down. "Nemjeti Sports" analyzed that "Canada, Poland, Japan, and Norway will form the medal table in this Olympic speed skating event led by the Netherlands and the United States."

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*This content was translated by AI.