2026 Milano·Cortina

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 26th that the "Korea House," which it operated together with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee in Milan and Cortina during the 2026 Winter Olympics, recorded the highest number of visitors among all Korea Houses at past Winter Olympics, drawing intense interest in K-Culture from foreign visitors. The ministry stated that a total of 32,656 people visited Korea House, which was set up at Villa Necchi Campiglio in downtown Milan, Italy, over 18 days, attracting an average of about 1,800 visitors per day. In particular, all online advance reservations for 1,700 visitors per day for the entire period were fully booked just seven days after opening, after which the daily reservation capacity was expanded to 2,000 people. Korea House operated from February 5 to 22. Looking at the composition of visitors, about three-quarters of the total were local Italians. As for the language used in satisfaction surveys, Italian and English ac

The South Korean delegation, which finished 13th overall at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals, returned home on the 24th. Yu Seungmin, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, delegation chief Lee Sookyung (President of the Korea Skating Union), and the main contingent of the Korean team, including the short-track, speed skating, figure skating, bobsleigh, and curling national squads, arrived at Incheon International Airport that afternoon. Short-track skaters Choi Minjeong (Seongnam City Hall) and Hwang Daeheon (Gangwon Provincial Government), who served as flagbearers at the Closing Ceremony, led the delegation side by side holding the Taegeukgi, while athletes from each discipline, including double gold medalist short-track skater Kim Gilli (Seongnam City Hall), greeted the large number of reporters and fans with bright smiles and waves. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young presented bouquets t

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, together with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, it will hold a welcome ceremony for the Korean delegation to the "2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics" at the Arrival Hall on the first floor of Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 24th. The welcome ceremony will be attended by Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwiyeong, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee Yoo Seungmin, Head of Delegation Lee Sugyeong, and the short track, figure skating, and speed skating athletes returning as the main delegation. Minister Choi Hwiyeong will present bouquets to the delegation and convey words of encouragement and gratitude for the passion and fighting spirit they demonstrated during the Games. Head of Delegation Lee Sugyeong will report on the results of the team's participation in the Games. Minister Choi Hwiyeong stated, "Our 71 athletes across six events gave our people great emotion

24.1 years. This is the average age of South Korean athletes who won individual-event medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Three out of the seven were teenagers. Choi Minjeong, the "short track legend" who, through this Games, became the South Korean athlete with the most Olympic medals ever across both Summer and Winter Games, is also still in her twenties. Kim Gilli, who has established herself as the next-generation ace following in Choi's footsteps, is only 22 years old this year. Kim Gilli became the only double gold medalist on the South Korean team at this Games and was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP). The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which showcased the strength of Millennials & Gen Z, concluded 17 days of intense competition with the closing ceremony held on the 23rd (Korean time) at the Arena di Verona, an ancient Roman amphitheater. South Korea won 3 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals to finish 13th in the overall standings. The

The racing suit worn by Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics has gone up for auction, and the bidding price has soared to around 10 million won. On February 22 (local time), Yonhap News Agency cited the British Daily Mail as reporting that "the Dutch Olympic team has put items related to this Olympics up for auction," adding that "the racing suit Leerdam wore during the Games is currently on display at Team Netherlands House in Milan, Italy." The auction features the racing suits of Leerdam, who won the women’s 1,000 m speed skating event, and Femke Kok, who won the 500 m. Also up for auction are the jacket worn by male short track triple gold medalist Jens van 't Wout at the opening ceremony, the Dutch national flag he carried, and the racing suits he wore. The Dutch delegation plans to donate the proceeds from the auction to the local clubs where the athletes began their sporting careers. Among these, items related to Leerdam are drawi

The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics concluded 17 days of intense competition with the closing ceremony held on the 23rd (Korean time) at the Arena di Verona, an ancient Roman amphitheater. The Arena di Verona is one of the symbolic spaces of Italy, the "home of opera." It is the world's largest open-air opera house, accommodating 30,000 people, and serves as the main stage of the Verona Opera Festival, which began in 1913 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi, one of Italy's leading opera composers. The closing ceremony was held at this historic venue under the theme "Beauty in Action." The closing ceremony itself was staged as an opera. In front of the curtained amphitheater stage, a conductor and orchestra members appeared as if preparing for an opera performance, while behind the curtain, scenes showed lead characters from iconic operas such as La Traviata, Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly, and Aida getting ready to perform. Soon, "Libiamo ne' lieti calici," the

Jung Jaewon and Park Jiwoo, Korea's leading long-distance speed skaters in the men's and women's events, have advanced to the mass start finals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Jung will be aiming for a second consecutive medal in the Olympic mass start, having won silver in this event at the 2022 Beijing Games. On the 21st (Korea time), at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium in Italy, Jung scored 21 points in the men's mass start semifinal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, finishing third in Heat 1 and earning a spot in the final, which is awarded to the top eight skaters. The mass start is contested over 16 laps of a 400 m track, with rankings determined by the points accumulated. The top six skaters receive points, with 60 points for first place, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth, and so on. In addition, every fourth lap, the top three skaters earn 3, 2, and 1 bonus points, respectively. Jung crossed the line in third place on the fourth lap to secure 1 point

On the final day of competition, Korean short track added three more medals, finishing its 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics campaign with a total of seven medals, the most since the 2010 Vancouver Games. On the final day of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics short track events on the 21st (Korean time), the Korean short track team added one gold medal and two silver medals. In the women's 1500m, Kim Gilli and Choi Minjeong won the gold and silver medals, respectively, and the men's national team also captured its second consecutive Olympic silver medal in the 5000m relay. By becoming a double champion, Kim Gilli hung her third medal of this Games around her neck, cementing her status as the next-generation ace of women's short track. Although Choi Minjeong fell short of becoming the first athlete in short track history to win three consecutive Olympic individual titles, she claimed her seventh Olympic medal and became South Korea's most decorated Olympian across both the Summer a

The women's short track national team duo, Kim Gilli and Choi Minjeong, swept the gold and silver medals in their main event, the 1500m, while also setting a meaningful record. By winning two gold medals, Kim Gilli cemented her status as the next-generation empress of long-distance short track. Although Choi Minjeong fell short of becoming the first athlete in short track history to win three consecutive Olympic titles in an individual event, she claimed her seventh Olympic medal and became South Korea's all-time leading Olympic medalist across both the Summer and Winter Games. On the 21st (Korea time), at the Milan Ice Skating Arena in Italy, Kim Gilli and Choi Minjeong crossed the finish line together in first and second place in the women’s 1500m short track final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Kim Gilli clocked 2 minutes 32.076 seconds. Choi Minjeong finished in 2 minutes 32.450 seconds, 0.374 seconds behind Kim Gilli. Kim Gilli started from lane 4 and Choi Minjeong fro