Former national speed skating team member Kim Min-seok naturalized as a Hungarian citizen.
Kim Min-seok (25), a former national speed skating team member who caused controversy due to a drunk driving accident, has become a naturalized Hungarian citizen.
The Hungarian Skating Federation recently announced on its official website, “Kim Min-seok and Korean short track skater Moon Won-jun (23) have completed the naturalization process for Hungary. They will both play as members of the Hungarian national team.”
Kim Min-seok has been active as a mid- and long-distance speed skating star. He has proven his skills by winning two consecutive bronze medals in the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in the men’s 1500m, an event traditionally strong in the Americas and Europe.
However, in July 2022, Kim Min-seok drank alcohol and drove a car at the Jincheon Athletes' Village, causing an accident where he collided with a sidewalk block boundary.
After this fact was belatedly revealed, Kim Min-seok was suspended from the Korea Skating Union for 1 year and 6 months. After that, in May of last year, he was sentenced to a fine of 4 million won in a trial and was suspended from the national team for 2 years by the Korea Sports Council.
In an interview with the Hungarian Skating Union, Kim Min-seok said, "I was suspended from the national team for 3 years for drunk driving in Korea. I still regret what happened at the time and have not driven since then." He explained, "The Korea Skating Union said they would give me a chance to compete in the 2026 Milan-Tortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, but I thought it would be difficult if I couldn't train for 3 years. I had no team or income."
Kim Min-seok's suspension from the national team is scheduled to end in May 2025. Accordingly, there was no problem in participating in the 2025-26 national speed skating team trials to be held in October-November 2025. However, it has been reported that Kim Min-seok has not been able to properly train on the ice since his contract with his former team Seongnam City Hall expired. Coach Lee Cheol-won, a Korean coach of the Hungarian national ice skating team, offered Kim Min-seok naturalization while he was struggling. Accordingly, Kim Min-seok went to Hungary in February to train and completed the naturalization process. Kim Min-seok can participate as a member of the Hungarian national team in the 2026 Winter Olympics. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter, a naturalized athlete must compete in an international competition with his previous nationality three years before he can compete in the Olympics. Kim Min-seok's last international competition was the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The Hungarian Skating Federation, which suffered a blow two years ago when short track star brothers Saolin Sandor Liu and Saoang Liu left for China, is smiling at the naturalization of Korean athletes. Ruoshi Kosher, the president of the Hungarian Skating Federation, said, “The naturalization of athletes with world-class skills will have a positive effect not only on the athletes themselves but also on the existing national team players.” 해외 카지노 사이트
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