*This content was translated by AI.
Hwang Dae-heon (27, Gangwon Provincial Office) of the national short track team will return the 2026-2027 Taegeuk mark and rest. Hwang Dae-heon, who wanted to reveal the truth about various suspicions and controversies surrounding him, decided to leave the ice for a while, keeping silent.
An official from Hwang Dae-heon said on the phone on the 2nd, "Hwang Dae-heon will not participate in the 2026-2027 short track national team selection match." The official said, "Hwang Dae-heon is currently very tired. "I also have minor injuries during the season," he said. "I will take a break for a season and conduct personal training."
This is not the first time Hwang Dae-heon has taken a break from his national team activities. He withdrew from the 2022-2023 selection match after the 2022 Beijing Olympics due to the aftereffects of COVID-19, and missed the national flag by finishing 11th in the 2024-2025 selection match after controversy over team kill against Park Ji-won (Seoul City Hall).
Hwang Dae-heon, who has been a member of the national team since 2016, has made the Olympic stage for three consecutive times, from 2018 Pyeongchang, 2022 Beijing, 2026 Milan, and Cortina D'Ampezzo. During this period, Lee Ho-seok, who retired after harvesting one gold medal and four silver medals, recorded the highest medal tie in the Korean men's short track Olympics.
However, despite his clear skills, the view surrounding Hwang Dae-heon was not good. From a court battle with Lin Xiaojun (Chinese naturalized, Korean name Lim Hyo-jun) in 2019 to allegations that he committed a series of fouls on Park Ji-won during the 2024 World Championship, he faced constant criticism. In response, Hwang Dae-heon said on his personal social networking service (SNS) last month, "I was deeply saddened to see that the untrue parts of the stories surrounding me were accepted as fait accompli," adding, "I was asked to look back on whether there was any misunderstanding caused by my lack of knowledge, and I felt that I had to correct the parts to be corrected before it was too late."
At the time, Hwang Dae-heon announced a head-on breakthrough after the competition, vowing to organize his thoughts and reveal the truth with a sincere heart. However, Hwang Dae-heon, who recently returned home after the World Championship, did not participate in the national team selection match instead of expressing his promised position.
Meanwhile, Choi Min-jeong (Seongnam City Hall), who announced her retirement from the Olympic stage, will participate in the selection match. An official from Choi Min-jeong said, "We have finished the Olympic stage, but we have not announced the retirement of athletes or national teams," and expressed our intention to continue our career in the national team. Choi Min-jeong, who won four gold medals and three silver medals from Pyeongchang to the Milan Games, has been named the most medalist in the history of the East and Summer Olympics in Korea.
Lee Jung-soo (Seoul Metropolitan Government), a two-time winner of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, announced his retirement after 27 years of playing.
The 2026-2027 national team selection match will be held at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul from the 7th. With Im Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall) and Kim Ki-li (Seongnam City Hall), two-time world championship champion in 2026, automatic boarding, fierce competition is expected for seven seats each for men and women.
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*This content was translated by AI.
