First Olympics with 'two flames' heads into history
The 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, staged for the first time with “two flames,” will close with a ceremony starting at 4:30 a.m. Korean time on the 23rd at the Verona Arena in Italy.It was the first Olympics in 20 years to be held in Italy, and the first to include two place names in a single official Games title. The opening ceremony featured athlete entries and torch events in both Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, with the cauldron lit simultaneously in two locations for the first time.
With events spread out and some venues not completed until just before the opening, the Games began under concern. Once competition started, attention shifted to the athletes. Cross-country star Johannes Klaebo of Norway won six gold medals and collected his 11th career Winter Olympic gold, a record total, among other highlights.
Verona, the site of the closing ceremony, is about 160 kilometers from Milan, which hosted the opening ceremony as well as skating and ice hockey events. The 80,000-seat Verona Arena is an amphitheater completed in A.D. 30 during the Roman Empire and once used for gladiator contests and hunts with wild animals.
South Korea will have short track skaters Choi Min-jeong of Seongnam City Hall and Hwang Dae-heon of Gangwon Provincial Office serve as flag bearers. Choi won one gold and one silver at these Games, setting a South Korean Olympic record with seven career medals. Hwang won two silver medals, the best result among South Korea’s male athletes at the Games.
South Korea ends 2026 Winter Olympics with 3 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze; 13th overall
South Korea, which set a top-10 finish as its medal-table goal, ended the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics with what it called a partial success.As of the 22nd, South Korea had won three gold, four silver and three bronze medals to place 13th overall. Short track, expected to deliver at least two gold medals, met its target with two gold, three silver and two bronze. Snow events exceeded expectations with one gold, one silver and one bronze, after aiming for at least one medal.
South Korea improved on its 2022 Beijing results of two gold, five silver and two bronze medals, when it finished 14th, but it did not reach the top 10.
The team also earned its first Olympic medal in ski and snowboard events. Choi Ga-on of Sehwa Girls’ High School scored 90.25 points in the women’s snowboard halfpipe final, beating Chloe Kim of the United States, who scored 88.00 points while seeking a third straight title. Choi’s victory delivered South Korea’s first gold medal of the Games.
In men’s snowboard alpine, Kim Sang-gyeom of High1 won silver, and Yoo Seung-eun of Seongbok High School took bronze in women’s snowboard big air, helping drive South Korea’s early medal push.
The short track team outperformed a bleak outlook and piled up medals. Kim Gil-li, the youngest member of the women’s team and born in 2004, won two gold medals and one bronze, becoming South Korea’s only double gold medalist at these Games.
South Korea gained momentum with a bronze by Lim Jong-eon of Goyang City Hall in the men’s 1,000 meters, a silver by Hwang in the men’s 1,500, and a bronze by Kim Gil-li in the women’s 1,000. The women’s 3,000 relay produced a dramatic comeback to win gold.
On the final day of the sport, South Korea won silver in the men’s 5,000 relay, and Kim Gil-li and Choi Min-jeong took gold and silver in the women’s 1,500. Speed skating, which had been South Korea’s next-most successful Winter Olympic sport after short track, ended these Games without a medal.
Vice minister Kim Dae-hyun vows push for snow-sport training facilities, new military winter team
Kim Dae-hyun, second vice minister at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, visited the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics and pledged to work to improve conditions for South Korea’s athletes.Speaking on the 22nd at a South Korean team disbandment ceremony at Korea House set up at Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, Kim said, “As the vice minister in charge of sports, I have two policy takeaways.”
He said he was grateful to athletes for strong performances in events such as snowboard halfpipe and big air, where there had been doubts about South Korea’s medal chances. But he added that he felt sorry after hearing athletes had trained abroad because there were no domestic facilities.
“Once we return, I will consult with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, including President Yoo Seung-min, and also coordinate within the government to do our utmost to ensure training venues can be 마련ed,” he said.
Kim also said discussions are underway to expand opportunities for winter-sport athletes to join the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps, known as Sangmu. “There are many summer sports in Sangmu, but for winter there is only biathlon. We are consulting with the Ministry of National Defense, and I am also requesting support from the minister and working hard,” he said. “I hope we can join forces so a winter team can be newly established in Sangmu.”
Seoul High Court’s insurrection appeals panels to begin work on Yoon case
Specialized panels at the Seoul High Court assigned to handle appeals for key figures involved in the Dec. 3 martial law incident will begin full operations, including the case of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of leading an insurrection, according to legal officials.According to the legal community on the 22nd, the Seoul High Court’s Criminal Division 1 (Presiding Judge Yoon Seong-sik, with Judges Min Seong-cheol and Lee Dong-hyeon) and Criminal Division 12 (Judges Lee Seung-cheol, Jo Jin-gu and Kim Min-a) were designated as the specialized insurrection panels and will start related work from the 23rd.
The panels were established under the “Special Act on Criminal Procedures for Crimes Such as Insurrection, Foreign Aggression and Rebellion” (the law creating the specialized insurrection panels). They will handle Yoon’s case as well as appeals for major Cabinet members whose first-trial verdicts have been issued, including former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min, who face charges such as participating in important duties.
On the same day, two new panels will also be created at the Seoul Central District Court to exclusively handle first trials in insurrection cases. One panel will be led by Presiding Judges Jang Seong-hoon (Judicial Research and Training Institute class 30), Oh Chang-seop (class 32) and Ryu Chang-seong (class 33). The other will be led by Presiding Judges Jang Seong-jin (class 31), Jung Su-young (class 32) and Choi Young-gak (class 34).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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