Cha Jun-hwan puts skating career on hold, focuses on showbiz
Cha Jun-hwan announced that he would not compete in the 2026-27 season. As a result, he is expected to withdraw from the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy, the third and sixth events, respectively, of the International Skating Union Grand Prix series.
Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo near the Olympic Village in Milan on Feb. 15.KIM JONG-HO
Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan, Korea’s top men’s singles skater, is stepping away from competition and is expected to focus on entertainment work for the time being.
“After finishing last season, I thought long and hard about my future activities,” Cha wrote on social media on Monday. “After a long deliberation, I decided not to continue activities with the national team or compete this season.”
He reportedly ended his contract with Seoul City Hall as well. Cha joined the capital’s newly launched figure skating team in May 2025 as its first athlete. This marked the first time that a Korean local government created a figure skating team.
“I will do my best in the work given to me now while carefully considering which direction I will take going forward,” he continued. “I sincerely thank everyone who has always supported me and given me strength.”
Cha had been invited to the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy, the third and sixth events, respectively, of the 2026-27 International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix series. He is now expected to withdraw from both.
He also recently stepped down from the athletes’ committee of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, citing personal reasons.
Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the Taereung International Skating Rink in Nowon District, northern Seoul, on Jan. 14.KIM SEONG-RYONG
Throughout his career, Cha has set a string of milestones for Korean men’s figure skating. He finished 15th at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics; won the ISU Four Continents Championships 2022; placed fifth at the Beijing 2022 Olympics; took silver at the ISU World Championships 2023; and earned gold at the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games.
He finished fourth at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February and has reportedly been debating whether to continue his competitive career since. He signed an exclusive contract with entertainment agency Fantagio in April. In August, he took the lead role in “Solo Leveling on Ice,” an ice show and musical adapting the hit Korean web novel and webtoon “Solo Leveling” (2016-18).
As a child, Cha appeared in commercials for Choco Pie, a popular Korean snack, and worked as an actor. He took up figure skating to improve his acting, but he was drawn to the sport’s freedom and intensity and chose to pursue it competitively.
His striking looks earned him the nickname “the Taeneung talent that K-pop missed,” referring to the Taeneung National Training Center, the longtime training base for the country’s national athletes.
Appearing on a reality show last year, Cha said, “I switched paths after being a child actor, so I have an unfinished dream. If I get the chance after retiring [from competitive figure skating], I’d like to try acting.”
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.
