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Lee sends congratulations to short tracker Hwang Dae-heon on silver medal win

Published: 15 Feb. 2026, 15:19

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with senior aides at the Blue House in Seoul on Feb. 12. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday congratulated short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon on his silver medal win at the men's 1,500 meters at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

"I give a big round of applause to Hwang Dae-heon, who has captured a priceless silver medal," Lee wrote on Facebook after Hwang clinched the medal — his second consecutive medal in that distance — on Saturday.

Lee touted Hwang for proving his world-class talent, noting how he won the silver following a gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

"Hwang managed to keep his pace and stayed calm until the end in a competitive race," the president said, adding that he will root for Hwang so that the athlete can continue to reap good results going forward.

Lee also mentioned two other Korean speed skaters, Shin Dong-min and Rim Jong-un, sending a message of encouragement to them.

Hwang finished in second place behind Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands in a chaotic, nine-skater final at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, four years after winning the gold medal in Beijing. Roberts Kruzbergs of Latvia took the bronze.

This was Korea's second short track medal here and its fifth medal overall. The country leads the all-time short track medal race with 26 gold medals and 55 medals overall.

Yonhap