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Kim Min-seok, 27, a speed skater who became a Hungarian citizen following a drunk driving offense, trained together with South Korean athletes in preparation for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Kim Min-seok joined the South Korean speed skating team at the Milan Speed Skating Stadium in Italy on the 3rd (local time). During an afternoon training session, he kept pace with the national team members, concentrating on improving his physical condition. Although they previously competed under the same Taegeuk Mark, Kim now represents Hungary.

Only four years ago, Kim was the top middle- and long-distance speed skater in South Korea. He steadily rose through the ranks since his junior years, earning two golds and a bronze at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games, followed by a silver and a bronze at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he made history as the first Asian athlete to win a bronze in the men’s 1,500m.

Nevertheless, he let down his supporters in July 2022 after being involved in a drunk driving incident at the Jincheon Athlete’s Village in Chungcheongbuk. In August of the same year, the Korean Skating Union’s Sports KFTC Committee placed him on a one-year and six-month suspension. A court subsequently imposed a fine of 4 million South Korean won in May 2023, and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee banned him from participating in the national team for two years.

Initially, his suspension was scheduled to conclude in May of the previous year, enabling him to take part in the 2025–2026 national team selection trials beginning in October of that year. However, following the expiration of his contract with his former team, he faced difficulties in maintaining proper training. It is reported that during this time, he received a naturalization proposal from Coach Lee Cheol-won, a Korean coach in the Hungarian national team.

The Olympic Charter of the International Olympic Committee states that an athlete must wait three years after competing internationally with their original nationality before switching to represent another country. As Kim’s final competition under South Korea was the men’s 1,000m at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he became eligible for this Games.

Before his third Winter Olympics, Kim—Hungary’s only speed skater—has been training by himself. South Korean athletes offered to train with him out of kindness. However, after that, Kim politely turned down interview requests, saying, “I will talk after the competition.”