South Korea Women's Curling Falls to Switzerland, Playoff Hopes in Jeopardy

South Korea's women's curling team suffered a 5-7 defeat to world No. 1 Switzerland in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics qualifying round, putting their semifinal prospects in serious doubt.

The world No. 3 Korean team—comprising skip Kim Eun-ji, third Kim Min-ji, second Seol Ye-ji, lead Seol Ye-eun, and fifth Kim Su-ji—lost to Switzerland in their seventh round-robin match at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on January 18 (Korea time).

The loss dropped South Korea to a 4-3 record, tied with Canada for fourth place in the round-robin standings. Sweden leads at 6-1, followed by Switzerland and the United States, both at 5-2. Korea fell from a joint second-place position the previous day.

The team faces crucial matches ahead: Sweden on January 18 and Canada on January 19 as they fight to secure a semifinal berth.

The women's curling competition features 10 teams in a single round-robin format, with the top four advancing to a knockout tournament for medals.

Korea started with hammer in the first end, scoring one point before conceding it to Switzerland. The Swiss took three points in the second end to lead 3-1. Korea clawed back one point in the third end when they executed a takeout on Switzerland's remaining stone in the house. Strong play in the fourth end left two Korean stones in the house, leveling the score at 3-3.

Switzerland employed a blank end strategy in the fifth end to retain hammer for the sixth. Despite leaving two stones in the house after their final throw, a measurement against Korea's remaining stone yielded only one point for Switzerland.

Korea conceded one point in the seventh end, falling behind 3-5, but scored one in the eighth to narrow the gap to 4-5.

In the ninth end, Korea deployed two center guards for defensive positioning. Switzerland countered by placing stones in the house and clearing the guards. A successful double takeout on their final shot gave Switzerland two points and a 7-4 lead.

Needing multiple points in the tenth end, Korea executed a triple takeout on their ninth shot, removing all three Swiss stones and raising hopes of a comeback. However, Switzerland responded with a double takeout, prompting Korea to concede with a handshake before their final throw, adding only one point in the 5-7 defeat.