Milan: Thanks to a late push from its short track speed skaters, South Korea met its target of securing at least three gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. As the Olympics concluded, South Korea is expected to finish with three gold, four silver, and three bronze medals.

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea had aimed to improve upon its performance at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, where it won two golds, five silvers, and two bronzes. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee had set a goal of winning at least one more gold medal than in Beijing for the 2026 competition in northern Italy.

Short track speed skater Kim Gil-li was instrumental in achieving the third gold medal with her victory in the women's 1,500-meter event, overtaking her teammate Choi Min-jeong. Earlier, the men's 5,000-meter relay team secured a silver medal. The short track speed skaters were pivotal in the medal tally, contributing two golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.

Kim Gil-li emerged as the only double gold medalist for South Korea, leading the women's 3,000m relay team to victory before triumphing in the 1,500m event. She also claimed a bronze in the 1,000m, leading all South Korean athletes with three medals.

Choi Min-jeong concluded her Olympic journey with a relay gold and a 1,500m silver, becoming the most decorated South Korean Olympian with seven career medals. On the men's side, Rim Jong-un captured a bronze in the 1,000m and contributed to the silver in the 5,000m relay. Hwang Dae-heon claimed silver in the 1,500m, marking his third consecutive Winter Olympics with a medal.

The short track team overcame a challenging start when South Korea crashed out of the semifinals in the mixed team relay due to a collision. However, Kim's breakthrough in the women's 1,500m race marked a turning point.

In snowboarding, South Korea exceeded expectations, winning one gold, one silver, and one bronze. Kim Sang-kyum secured a silver in the men's parallel giant slalom, while Yu Seung-eun and Choi Gaon claimed a bronze in women's big air and a gold in women's halfpipe, respectively. Choi's achievement denied Chloe Kim her third consecutive Olympic gold and made her the youngest Olympic snowboard champion.

Despite high hopes, South Korea fell short in women's curling, missing the semifinals by one win. They also failed to secure a speed skating medal for the first time since 2002, with Chung Jae-won narrowly missing a bronze in the men's mass start.

Off the field, South Korea celebrated as the 2018 bobsleigh silver medalist Won Yun-jong was elected to the Athletes' Commission of the International Olympic Committee. He garnered the most votes among 11 candidates, becoming the third South Korean athlete elected to the commission.