Japanese national gives up citizenship: 'Descendant of independence activist' Huh Mimi, South Korean judo national team representative, vows to win gold at the Asian Games and bring it to her grandmother's grave... "I will shine for my grandmother and my country as a South Korean national team athlete." Huh Mimi partners with Brion Company.

*This content was translated by AI.

Sports business group Brion Company announced on the 17th that it has signed a management contract with Huh Mimi (24), the top star of the South Korean women's judo national team who gave up her Japanese nationality and is competing as a South Korean national representative.

Huh Mimi is a third-generation Korean-Chinese resident in Japan. Despite growing up in Japan with dual citizenship, she chose South Korean nationality in 2021. She has been actively serving as a South Korean national team member since 2023. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she won a silver medal, proving herself to be the undisputed strongest competitor in the -57kg weight class.

Huh Mimi made her debut as a national representative at the 2022 Tbilisi Grand Slam wearing the Taegeuk mark and immediately won the gold medal in the women's -57kg category.

Since then, Huh Mimi has consistently achieved outstanding results, elevating the status of South Korean judo. First, at the 2024 World Championships, she won a gold medal, becoming only the third female judoka in history to do so after 29 years (following Jung Sung-sook in the 1995 61kg class and Cho Min-seon in the 66kg class).

She then shone for her homeland, South Korea, by winning a silver medal at the same year's 2024 Paris Olympics. Although she narrowly missed the gold medal due to a judging controversy during the final match, Huh Mimi accepted the result with her characteristic positive attitude. At that time, she moved the people of South Korea by expressing her determination to win gold at the next Olympics.

Huh Mimi, born to a Korean father and Japanese mother and raised in Tokyo, is also a fifth-generation descendant of independence activist Heo Seok. She began practicing judo following her father, who was a judoka since she was six years old, and stood out from an early age. Carrying the wish of her grandmother, who wanted to see her compete as a South Korean national team representative, Huh Mimi gave up her Japanese nationality in 2021 and has maintained top-level performance as a South Korean national team member since 2022 until now.

Her judo style is also attractive. Specializing in seoi-nage (shoulder throw), Huh Mimi particularly excels at one-armed seoi-nage. Her aggressive judo style brings enjoyment to spectators, and as proven at the Paris Olympics, she possesses the seasoned ability to read her opponent's movements and guide them into judo throws.

Lee Na-ra, a director at Brion Company, said, "She is a proud athlete who will be remembered in South Korean judo history, possessing immense effort, brighter energy than anyone else, and a special story." He added, "We will spare no full support to allow her to shine even more for South Korea from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."

Huh Mimi expressed her meaningful ambition: "I want to win a gold medal at this Asian Games and bring it to my grandmother's grave. I memorized the national anthem to sing during the Paris Olympics, and I want to definitely sing it on the podium in the upcoming Nagoya and Los Angeles. Since I was able to wear the Taegeuk mark thanks to my grandmother, I want to do well as a South Korean national team representative until I can no longer do so, shining for both my grandmother and my country." According to Brion Company, her Korean language skills have improved dramatically compared to the time of the Paris Olympics.

Meanwhile, Brion Company manages Olympic medalists from various sports, including fencer Kim Jung-hwan (Korea Sports Promotion Foundation), Koo Bon-gil (Busan Metropolitan City Government), Oh Sang-wook (Daejeon Metropolitan City Government), Do Kyung-dong (Daegu Metropolitan City Government), short track speed skaters Kwak Yoon-ki and Lee Yu-bin (Goyang City Government), judoka Kim Min-jong (Yangpyeong County Government), and taekwondo athlete Park Tae-jun (Kyung Hee University). The company also manages excellent athletes from multiple sports, including baseball player Choi Jee-man (Ulsan Whales), golfer Jeon In-ji (KB Financial Group), and footballer Moon Do-yeop (DB Insurance).

1. Basic Information

Name: Huh Mimi (HUH Mimi)

Agency: Brion Company

Education: Waseda University, Department of Sports Science

Birth: December 19, 2002

Sport: Women's -57kg category

2. Awards and Achievements

2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games South Korean Judo National Team Representative

2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Individual Gold Medal

2025 LINE-Lure U Tournament Individual Gold Medal

2025 Hungary World Championships Mixed Team Runners-up

2024 Paris Olympics Individual Silver Medal

2024 Abu Dhabi World Championships Individual Gold Medal

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*This content was translated by AI.