SEONGNAM — The athletes who spearheaded South Korea's short track speed skating renaissance at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics gathered to thank their fans.
Four members of the Seongnam City Hall skating team — Kim Gil-li, Choi Min-jung, Lee Jun-seo, and Lee Jung-min — held a fan signing event Tuesday morning in the city hall lobby, with Mayor Shin Sang-jin in attendance.
The athletes delivered stellar performances across all short track events, bringing home two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal for South Korea.
This marks the first time in history that every Seongnam City Hall athlete competing at the Olympics won a medal.
Kim Gil-li dominated headlines throughout the Games with her exceptional performances. She claimed her first Olympic medal with bronze in the women's 1,000m, then captured gold in the 1,500m. She added another gold in the 3,000m relay, becoming the only South Korean athlete to win two gold medals at the Games.
Lee Jun-seo and Lee Jung-min also shone brightly, taking silver in the men's 5,000m relay.
Choi Min-jung won silver in the women's 1,500m and teamed up with Kim for gold in the women's 3,000m relay. She extended her career Olympic medal count to seven — four gold and three silver — setting a new record for most Olympic medals by a South Korean athlete across both Summer and Winter Games.
Building on two golds at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and one gold and two silvers at the 2022 Beijing Games, the Seongnam City Hall skating team achieved its best-ever Olympic result, cementing its status as the nation's top corporate team on the world stage.
Three hundred citizens who registered online in advance attended the signing event for a rare opportunity to receive autographs from the star athletes.
The city set up a photo zone and a message board where fans could write words of encouragement.
Prior to the signing session, the city awarded the team a total of 375 million won ($257,000) in prize money.
"As a citizen of Seongnam, I am delighted to share the Olympic excitement with our residents, celebrating our short track athletes' medal performances," Mayor Shin said. "I am proud of all of you."