▲ Choi Min-jeong holds the South Korean flag and skates around the track after winning the silver medal in the women's 1,500m short track speed skating final at the 2026 Milano-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena in Italy on February 20, local time.
Living legend of South Korean short track Choi Min-jeong (28, Seongnam City Hall) is embarking on her final season wearing the Taegeuk mark.
The 2026-2027 International Skating Union (ISU) Short Track World Tour kicks off its opening leg in Vancouver, Canada, on October 24 (Korean time).
This season's international short track stage will run through seven World Tour stops before concluding with the World Championships in Seoul next March.
The 2026-2027 season marks the final time fans will be able to see Choi Min-jeong as a national team member.
Following the first national team selection trials last April, Choi announced that she would return the Taegeuk mark after the conclusion of the 2026-2027 season.
She explained that she chose this timing for her national team retirement so she could bid her final farewell to South Korean fans at the World Championships held at home.
Two international events will be held in Seoul this season.
The third stop of the World Tour will take place at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul from November 20 to 22, followed by the World Championships at the same venue from March 12 to 14 next year.
Choi prepared for the new season through intense training during the off-season to finish on a high note.
Meanwhile, following the opening Vancouver stop, the second leg of this season's World Tour will be held in Montreal, Canada, from October 31 to November 2.
The third and fourth stops will follow in Seoul and Shanghai, China (November 27–29), respectively.
After competing in the fifth stop in Beijing, China, from December 4 to 6, skaters will head to the sixth stop in Gdansk, Poland, from February 5 to 7 next year, and the seventh stop in Tilburg, Netherlands, from February 12 to 14.
They will then begin preparations for the World Championships in Seoul next March.
The male and female skaters and the team with the best cumulative results across the seven World Tour events will each be awarded the Crystal Globe, which serves as the season's MVP.
During the 2025-2026 season, Canada swept the Crystal Globes.
William Dandjinou (Canada) won the men's title, Courtney Sarault (Canada) won the women's title, and Canada also claimed the team category.
South Korea is aiming to recapture the Crystal Globe for the first time in three years, following the dual wins by Park Ji-won (Seoul City Hall) and Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall) in the 2023-2024 season.
Led by coach Lee Jae-kyung, the short track national team aims to hunt for medals backed by world-class prowess.
In the men's division, ace Im Jong-eon (Goyang City Hall), Lee Jung-min (Seongnam City Hall)—who delivered stellar performances in the relays at the Milano Winter Olympics—and Kim Tae-seong (Hwaseong City Hall) will compete with guaranteed priority entry into individual events.
Bae Seo-chan (Goyang City Hall) and Shin Dong-min (Hwaseong City Hall) will primarily feature as relay members.
In the women's division, Choi Min-jeong, rising ace Kim Gil-li (Seongnam City Hall), and Shim Suk-hee (Seoul City Hall) will compete in both individual and team events, while Kim Min-ji (Korea National Sport University) and Choi Ji-hyun (Jeonbuk Provincial Government) will mainly serve as relay members.
However, the potential disciplinary action facing men's national team ace Im Jong-eon remains a variable.
Im faces the threat of heavy disciplinary action for whereabouts reporting violations regarding unannounced anti-doping tests, which could prevent him from completing the season.
Last August, Im was subjected to disciplinary procedures after committing three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period for doping tests conducted by the International Testing Agency (ITA).
Im has retained a legal representative to submit explanations and is reviewing appeal options should severe penalties be imposed.
Elite athletes worldwide are required to register their whereabouts information, such as training locations and residences, in the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) for unannounced doping tests.
Accumulating three violations within 12 months can result in a suspension of up to two years for evading doping control.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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