South Korea’s Vice Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Jang Mi Ran beamed joy at the scene where South Korea’s figure skaters secured gold medals in both the men’s and women’s events, saying, “It is a happy and joyous day for everyone.”
The South Korean figure skating team claimed victory Thursday at the Heilongjiang Ice Training Center in Harbin, China. Cha Jun Hwan won gold in the men’s free skating with a score of 281.69 points, while Kim Chae Yeon took gold in the women’s event with 219.44 points.
With this achievement, South Korea set a new milestone by winning gold in both men’s and women’s figure skating at the Winter Asian Games. The men’s event, which had never seen a South Korean podium finish before, was now crowned with a gold medal, while the women’s team continued its dominance, following Choi Da Bin’s gold at the 2017 Sapporo Games.
Jang, visiting Harbin to support the national team, attended the figure skating event, cheering for the athletes while waving the South Korean flag.
After Cha Jun Hwan secured his gold medal, she ran over with a big smile, gave him a high five, and offered her congratulations.
Jang expressed her excitement, saying, “Our male and female athletes have made history by winning gold together in figure skating. It is a happy and joyous day for everyone.”
“Although I have never tried figure skating myself, watching today’s event made me realize how physically demanding the sport is. I congratulated Cha Jun Hwan for his outstanding performance despite the challenges. Even though I am physically exhausted, South Korea’s gold medal news makes me joyful and happy,” she added.
Meanwhile, Jang also attended freestyle skiing, biathlon, and snowboarding events at the Yabuli Resort earlier.
“I listened to the challenges and hardships faced by snow sports athletes, and I felt both grateful and apologetic,” she said. “Despite difficult environmental conditions, athletes across multiple disciplines perform exceptionally well. I feel a greater sense of responsibility to provide more support in the future.”
Jang will also attend the games’ closing ceremonies, which will take place at 9 p.m. on Friday at the Harbin International Convention, Exhibition, and Sports Center.