'Shocked' →음주파문 drinking scandal → 'S Korea N ceremony' There was no glory again in the end, once KOR Olympic hero who bowed his head.' [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Min-seok (27), who was naturalized to Hungary after a drunk driving accident after playing as a "Korean ice speed mid- to long-distance sign," failed to win a medal in the individual event.

Kim Min-seok crossed the finish line in the men's 1,500m speed skating event at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics on the 20th (Korea time), marking a time of 1:45.13 and finishing seventh.

The record difference was 3.15 seconds with China's Ning Zhongyan, who won the gold medal in first place.

At this Olympics, Kim Min-seok attracted a lot of attention. That's because Kim Min-seok was one of the leading Korean ice skaters who used to wear the national flag.

Kim Min-seok made his Olympic debut at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. In addition, he emerged as a new star by winning a silver medal in the men's team pursuit event and a bronze medal in the 1,500m event, respectively. This wasn't the end. At the 2002 Beijing Olympics, Kim Min-seok competed in the men's 1,500-meter speed skating event and succeeded in winning a bronze medal. It was a medal achievement for two consecutive tournaments.

However, Kim Min-seok caused a stir in July 2022 when he caused a drunk driving accident at Jincheon Training Center in Chungbuk. On July 22 of that year, after drinking at a restaurant near Jincheon National Training Center, he drove his vehicle into the athletes' village and crashed into the boundary stone of the sidewalk block. At that time, the police estimated Kim Min-seok's blood alcohol concentration as the level of license cancellation.

Later, the Korea Skating Union held a sports fair committee and suspended him for one and a half years. Then, in May 2023, he was fined 4 million won at the trial and suspended from the national team for two years by the Korean Sports Council.

Then he suddenly broke the surprise news. Choosing to naturalize Hungary in July 2024. At the time, he said in an interview with the Hungarian Skating Union, "I was suspended for three years for drunk driving in Korea. I still regret what happened at that time. Since then, he has not been behind the wheel," he said.

"The Korean Skating Union said it would give them a chance to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics, but we decided that it would be difficult if they did not train for three years. He explained the reason for his naturalization, saying, "I had no team or income due to disciplinary action." Recently, Son Heung-min's click ceremony was released on the official social network service (SNS) of the Hungarian Skating Union, drawing attention again.

Kim Min-seok, who went to Hungary and trained there, competed in the 1,000m and 1,500m events at the Olympics. But as a result, he couldn't laugh. In the 1,000m event, he finished 11th with a time of 1:08.59. And in the 1500m, he also bowed his head to seventh place.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.