Korean women's curling team claims victory over Japan, strengthens push for spot in semifinal
Published: 16 Feb. 2026, 11:03
Updated: 16 Feb. 2026, 11:20
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- MICHAEL LEE
- [email protected]
![Korean women's curling team members Seol Ye-eun, left, and Kim Su-ji sweep during the delivery of the final stone in the fourth end of their round-robin match against Japan at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb. 15. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/16/3b45d7cf-0754-4117-97ca-c14ccd36b6e7.jpg)
Korean women's curling team members Seol Ye-eun, left, and Kim Su-ji sweep during the delivery of the final stone in the fourth end of their round-robin match against Japan at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb. 15. [YONHAP]
MILAN — The Korean women's curling team claimed a 7-5 win over Japan in the Olympic round-robin play on Sunday, strengthening its push for a semifinal berth.
Skip Gim Eun-ji guided the team — known as “5G” — past Sayaka Yoshimura’s Japan at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Cortina d’Ampezzo, about 260 kilometers (162 miles) northeast of Milan.
The Korean team made the early move, stealing one point in both the second and third ends to take a 2-0 lead. Japan answered with two points in the fourth to draw level, and the teams traded singles in the fifth and sixth ends, leaving the score tied 3-3 heading into the later stages.
The momentum shifted in the seventh. Applying steady pressure, the Korean team chose to blank the end to retain the hammer. With the last stone advantage in the eighth, third Kim Min-ji delivered a pivotal double takeout, then followed with a runback takeout that cleared two Japanese stones from the house. Gim capped the sequence with a controlled takeout on her final stone to secure three points in a decisive big end and open up a 6-3 cushion.
Japan responded in the ninth with two points to narrow the deficit to 6-5, but Gim, holding the hammer once more in the 10th, executed a precise final shot to ensure a single point and seal the victory.
The win lifted Korea to 3-2 through five games in the 10-team round robin. The team previously fell to the United States and Denmark but defeated Italy and Britain.
The matchup revived memories of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic semifinal, when Kim Eun-jung’s “Team Kim” defeated Japan en route to a silver medal that sparked a surge of domestic interest in the sport.
Korea’s lineup consists of Gim (skip), Kim Min-ji (third), Kim Su-ji (second), Seol Ye-eun (lead) and Seol Ye-ji (alternate). The team’s nickname “5G” reflects the fact that four of the five players’ names end in the syllable “ji.”
In the current standings, Sweden, the United States and Switzerland occupy the top three spots, with Korea tied for fourth. The top four teams after nine games advance to the semifinals.
Korea next faces China before closing preliminary play against Switzerland, Sweden and Canada. A 6-3 finish — and potentially 5-4 depending on tiebreak scenarios — is generally sufficient to reach the knockout stage.
Korea is seeking its first Olympic medal in women’s curling since capturing silver at the 2018 Games.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK LIN, MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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