The choice to give up the taegeuk mark led to an Olympic berth. The evaluation did not follow. This is the local view of Kim Min-seok (26), who naturalized to Hungary, as he looks toward his third Olympics.
Hungary's leading sports media Nemzeti Sport on the 2nd (local time) reported on Kim Min-seok's possibility of competing at the 2026 Milan–Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics while keeping some distance from medal prospects. According to the report, Kim Min-seok secured quotas for the men's 1,000m and 1,500m in speed skating. The mass start is on the provisional list. He is effectively the only resource for Hungary's men's long track team.
The record is clear. Kim Min-seok won bronze medals in the 1,500m at both PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022. He also added a silver in the team pursuit in PyeongChang. He was called a symbol of Korea's middle-distance and long-distance skating. The turning point came in the summer of 2022. After a drunk driving incident he was suspended from the national team and lost his domestic training base. He shifted direction after acquiring Hungarian citizenship in 2024.
Hungary's judgment was also clear. They chose an Olympic medalist as a card to make up for weakness in winter sports. The primary goal of securing a quota spot was achieved. The problem is his current form. Kim Min-seok competed in the 2025-26 ISU World Cup rounds 1–4. His best result was ninth in the 1,500m at the first event. In subsequent competitions he floated outside the top 10 and even dropped to the bottom of division A. The distance from medal contention is reflected in the numbers.
Local assessments are cold. Nemzeti Sport picked the Netherlands and the United States as favorites and mentioned competition from Canada, Poland, Japan and Norway. Regarding Kim Min-seok, it noted that the chances of increasing his medal count in Milan are low. It added that the trend is completely different from just a year ago. It even said that reproducing the performances of PyeongChang and Beijing would be close to a miracle. It only added the caveat that the Olympics can be a stage for upsets.
The environment is not easy. Hungary's long track has a shallow history of medals. The competitive landscape has become more intense. Athletes who raised the standard have emerged, like Jordan Stolz of the United States. The view that this appearance carries more meaning as participation than results gains credibility.
Views on the choice to change nationality are mixed. Criticism that he chose the Olympics rather than enduring the discipline coexists with assessments that it was a personal choice. It is rare for a player who won a medal for Korea to compete in the Olympics under a foreign nationality. Kim Min-seok's choice will remain in the record. The answer to his results will come only on the ice in Milan.
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