'Korean speed skating sign → controversy over drunk driving'' Kim Min-seok eventually naturalized to Hungary"The team was also without any income"

Jul 11, 2024

Sportschosun DB

Photo =Capture on the website of the Hungarian Skating Union

Kim Min-seok (25) of the former speed skating national team, who caused controversy by driving under the influence of alcohol, was eventually naturalized to Hungary.

The Hungarian Skating Union recently announced on its website that two athletes, Kim Min-seok and short track Moon Won-jun, have completed the naturalization process. It is known that the two decided to naturalize in Hungary earlier this year and went through naturalization procedures while training there in February.

Kim Min-seok was suspended for three years for drunk driving in Korea through the Hungarian Skating Union. I don't want to excuse what happened at the time. I'm regretting it. I haven't been behind the wheel since the incident. The Korea Skating Union said it would give them a chance to compete in the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. However, he decided that it would be difficult if he could not train for three years. Due to the disciplinary action, there was no team or income."

Sportschosun DB

사진=Yonhap News

Kim Min-seok was once a star representing Korean speed skating. He won bronze medals in succession in the men's 1500m speed skating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. However, in July 2022, he caused a stir by causing a drunk driving accident at Jincheon Training Center in Chungbuk. A month later, he was suspended by the Sports Fair Committee of the Korea Skating Union for one and a half years. Since then, he was fined 4 million won at a trial in May last year. The Korean Sports Council suspended the national team for two years. The suspension of Kim Min-seok's qualification for the national team was originally scheduled to end in May 2025. As a result, he was able to compete in the selection of the national speed skating team for the 2025-2026 season, which is scheduled to be held from October to November 2025, and seek to participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, he did not have proper skating training after his contract with his former team, Seongnam City Hall, expired. He accepted the offer after being naturalized by Lee Cheol-won, the Korean leader of the Hungarian ice skating team.

Kim Min-seok, who chose to naturalize, can participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics as a member of the Hungarian national team. According to Article 41 (2) of the International Olympic Charter, three years have passed since the international competition where an athlete participated as an existing national in order to participate in the Olympics by changing his or her nationality. Kim Min-seok has not competed in an official international event since the men's 1,000m event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on February 18, 2022.

Photo =Capture on the website of the Hungarian Skating Union

Meanwhile, it is not the first time that the Korean ice skating world 'Ace' has chosen naturalization. Viktor Ahn (Korean name Ahn Hyun-soo), who was Korea's best short track skater, naturalized to Russia in 2011 and won three gold medals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Short track ace Lin Xiaojun (Korean name Lim Hyo-jun), the gold medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, naturalized to China after being suspended for one year by the Korea Skating Union for unsavory reasons with Hwang Dae-heon during training in 2019.

epi17@sportschosun.com