'Chinese Parents → Special Naturalization in Korea' Kwon Ye, 'Born in Canada' Lim Hana Team Officially Dissolves: "A Difficult Decision... We Will Remember Forever"

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite being born in Canada, the ice dance duo Lim Hana (22) and Kwon Ye (25), who had chosen to move to Korea, have officially announced the dissolution of their team after six years together.

On the 21st, Lim Hana announced via her personal social networking service (SNS): "It was a difficult decision, but Ye and I have decided to end our partnership." She added, "This was a decision made carefully by both of us."

She then expressed gratitude to her partner Kwon Ye, saying, "Thank you for enduring early morning training and for always believing in my future. I will remember you forever."

Lim Hana and Kwon Ye showcased new possibilities for Korean ice dancing on the stage of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. In February, during the rhythm dance of the Olympic figure skating team event held at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Lim Hana and Kwon Ye scored a total of 70.55 points, combining a technical score (TES) of 39.54 and a program component score (PCS) of 31.01, set to the music from the movie Men in Black. They finished seventh among 10 countries, securing 4 valuable points for Team Korea.

Lim Hana, who was born and raised in Canada, skated for Canada as a representative in the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 seasons with Kwon Ye, a Canadian of Chinese descent, before representing Korea starting from the 2021–2022 season. According to the official Olympic channel, Lim Hana, who grew up in Toronto, chose Korea at her parents' suggestion, and partner Kwon Ye also decided to move to Korea to maintain their team. Notably, Kwon Ye, who has Chinese parents, received approval for special naturalization from the Ministry of Justice in December 2024 and has been competing as a member of Team Korea.

One year before the Milan Olympics, Lim Hana stated, "I grew up in Canada and have never lived in Korea. However, both of my parents are Korean. My parents told me, 'It would be wonderful if you became a Korean national representative,' which is why I joined the Korean national team."

Kwon Ye said, "Both of my parents are Chinese. We lived in Iceland for about a year, then spent a year in China. After that, we have lived continuously in Montreal, Canada." She added, "Deciding to become a Korean national representative was not easy, as we had no connection to Korea."

Kwon Ye continued, "However, (Lim) Hana and I were a team. When Hana proposed becoming a Korean national representative, after consulting with our parents, we decided to Han Guk-eul (CEO)." She also expressed, "We are grateful to everyone who helped us become part of the Korean national team."

Lim Hana and Kwon Ye reached their peak by winning medals at the 2022–2023 Junior Grand Prix Final and the World Junior Championships, becoming the first Asian ice dance team to achieve this. Although they did not reach their personal best rhythm dance score of 76.02 points at this year's Milan Olympics, they demonstrated world-class skill, including achieving Level 4 on the rotational lift, a high-difficulty element.

In a challenging situation where they had no quota for the pairs event, the two skaters contributed to Korea's participation in the Olympic team event for the first time in eight years. Now, they will each embark on new challenges. Lim Hana said, "I will go out to find a new partner and new opportunities," hinting at another beginning on the ice.

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*This content was translated by AI.