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Seongnam's Olympic short track medal winners bask in fanfare at City Hall event

Published: 27 Feb. 2026, 19:19

Korean Olympic short track medalists pose for a group photo at a signing event at Seongnam City Hall in Gyeonggi on Feb. 27. [SEONGNAM CITY]

Seongnam City Hall turned into a fan festival on Friday as the city’s short track Olympic medalists held an autograph signing event after capturing five medals at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Lee June-seo and Lee Jeong-min appeared in the first-floor lobby of the Gyeonggi city's office at 11 a.m., drawing cheers of “LamborGil-li looks awesome!” and “We’re rooting for you!” A photo zone reading “Thank you, Seongnam citizens, for your support” and a message board for fans were quickly surrounded by residents eager to see the athletes up close.

The four won a total of five medals at the Milan-Cortina Games — two gold, two silver and one bronze. It marked the first time every Seongnam City Hall athlete who competed at a Winter Games returned home with a medal.

The city proposed the signing event after an outpouring of support throughout the Olympics, and the athletes readily agreed to participate.

Korean Olympic short track medalist Kim Gil-li poses for a photo at a signing event at Seongnam City Hall in Gyeonggi on Feb.27. [SEONGNAM CITY]

Originally planned for a crowd of 200 on a first-come, first-served basis, the event was expanded to 300 who were selected through advance online registration after social media buzz included pledges to line up before dawn or even hire stand-ins. Around 3,000 people applied.

“I didn’t get selected for the fan signing, but I came because I wanted to see the athletes in person and cheer them on,” one resident said. “I’m a fan of Choi Min-jeong, and it’s disappointing that she announced she won’t compete in another Olympics.”

Korean Olympic short track medalist Choi Min-jeong poses for a photo at a signing event at Seongnam City Hall in Gyeonggi on Feb. 27. [SEONGNAM CITY]

“Thanks to so many people supporting us, all of us were able to return with good results,” Choi said. “I don’t plan to compete in another Olympics, but I feel relieved because I was able to finish well.”

“I was very nervous, but so many people encouraged me and gave me courage,” Kim said. “I want to show you even better performances more often.”

Full backing from Seongnam and strong team unity helped drive their Olympic success, the skaters said. “I will prepare well for the upcoming world championships and for four years from now,” Lee Jeong-min said. “Thank you for the support. I was really looking forward to today’s fan signing event.”

Korean Olympic short track medalists pose for a photo at a signing event at Seongnam City Hall in Gyeonggi on Feb.27. [SEONGNAM CITY]

Ahead of the event, Seongnam awarded the team a total of 375 million won ($261,000) in prize money.

“We sincerely thank you for giving our citizens the emotion of the Olympics,” Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin said. “You make us proud.”

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 CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]