Milan: President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday congratulated short track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon on his silver medal win at the men's 1,500 meters at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. "I send a big applause to Hwang Dae-heon, who has captured a priceless silver medal," Lee wrote on Facebook after Hwang clinched the medal -- for his second consecutive medal in that distance -- on Saturday (local time).

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee praised Hwang for his demonstration of world-class talent, reflecting on his achievement of winning the silver following a previous gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The president acknowledged Hwang's ability to maintain his pace and composure in a competitive race, expressing his continued support for the athlete's future endeavors in the sport.

Lee also extended words of encouragement to two other South Korean speed skaters, Shin Dong-min and Rim Jong-un. Hwang secured second place behind Jens van 't Wout of the Netherlands in a nine-skater final at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan, four years after his gold medal victory in Beijing. Roberts Kruzbergs of Latvia completed the podium with the bronze.

This achievement marked South Korea's second short track medal at the event and its fifth medal overall. The nation continues to lead the all-time short track medal count with 26 gold medals and a total of 55 medals.