29 January 2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Team Republic of Korea

We’re just days away from the start of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and in the lead up we are featuring one National Olympic Committee (NOC) a day who will compete. Next up is Team Republic of Korea.

Team Republic of Korea will be represented by two teams at the Games: Team Gim (women) and Team Kim/Jeong (mixed doubles).

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Gim Eun-ji was a star in the making when she was part of Kim Ji-sun’s Korea team at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. But the cruel nature of curling meant it would be another 12 years before she would play under the five rings again.

Then just 24, she placed eighth with her teammates in Sochi. Heading into the next season, she was playing fourth on Team Kim and would go on to qualify for their fourth World Women’s Curling Championship in 2016, finishing seventh. From there, Gim took over as Kim retired.

Facing a new rival at home

Gim inherited the rink but soon encountered another Korean team capable of thriving on the international stage: Team Kim Eun-jung. Gim would not return to the World Championship for eight years, and she also missed out on her home Olympic Games at Pyeongchang 2018. There, Team Kim took a historic silver for the women’s team and became the face of Korean curling.

“I was mentally devastated when I couldn’t represent the country at a home Olympics,” Gim said to the Olympics press team in March 2025, prior to qualifying as the national team.

“At that time, I repeatedly asked myself, ‘Should I continue with the sport? Or should I quit?’

“My team supported me a lot, especially my coach who continuously reassured me, ‘You can do it’ and thanks to him I regained the confidence and have pursued my sporting career ever since.”

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Meet the team

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Regrouping after Beijing 2022

Team Kim again represented Korea at Beijing 2022, and for Gim, it was time to rebuild. Kim Min-ji would join the rink after the Games, replacing now-alternate Seol Ye-ji in the line-up, which has otherwise remained unchanged since 2020. The front end of the team is still made up of Kim Su-ji and Seol Ye-eun.

Kim was perhaps the missing component. Team Gim would go on to represent Korea at three consecutive Pan Continental Curling Championships (2023 to 2025), reaching the podium every time, including a gold in 2023.

It also saw Gim return to the World Championship, where her rink won the bronze medal in 2024. They came close again in 2025, losing the bronze medal game to China — just weeks after beating them for the Asian Winter Games title.

The momentum was building but the journey was far from over.

“I want to make sure this long wait does not go to waste. I will come back with a gold medal after showing what we can do at the Olympics.”

Gim Eun-ji, Team Republic of Korea

Booking their Olympic ticket

With barely a break between seasons, Team Gim had to secure their spot as the Olympic team at the Korean National Curling Championship.

There, they finished with a 7-1 record in the round-robin, only losing to Kim Eun-jung’s rink. A heavy 9-3 defeat then came in the play-off game against Ha Seung-youn’s side, meaning they had to tackle a semi-final to advance to the final instead. There they defeated Kang Bo-bae 9-6 before beating Team Ha in the final 7-4, ending the long wait to return to the Games.

“We should always remember that it’s not over until it’s over,” said Gim to the Olympics press team.

“I believe that curling is 80 percent mental strength. The most important thing is how quickly we refocus on the next shot by letting go of mistakes.”

Twelve years in the making

On tour, they have been incredibly consistent. They have made it to the semi-finals on nine occasions and made two finals, winning the Autumn Gold Curling Classic in October. Only at the Canadian Open did they fail to make it out of the round-robin.

Determination has always been at the centre of how Team Gim operates. The skip is a serious runner, who obsessively covers eight to 10 kilometres per day, even posting a half marathon time that would impress competitive club athletes. For Kim Min-ji, manifestation has been key — vowing to one day return to Cortina d’Ampezzo after visiting for a tour event.

“I went there once, and I left with the mindset that I would come back. I will return to Cortina and compete,” she said during a press conference in early January.

“It’s been 12 years since I competed in the Olympics,” said Gim, “I want to make sure this long wait does not go to waste. I will come back with a gold medal after showing what we can do at the Olympics.”

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Team Republic of Korea stats

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