The 2025 Asian Winter Cup took place in Harbin, China from Feb 7-14. South Korea is participating in numerous sports including speed skating, figure skating, curling, skiing, and more. The Harbin Asian Cup ended with South Korea standing at second place in terms of total medals after China.

“In Korea, winter sports aren’t as popular as other sports like soccer,” Yena Kim (10), Asian Cup viewer, said. “Considering that, I think Korean teams thriving in the Asian Cup is very impressive.”

Out of many teams, the Korean speed skating team received six out of 12 total medals. They earned their first gold medal in the mixed gender relay race on Feb.8; Choi Min-jeong, Kim Gil-li, Kim Tae-sung, and Park Ji-won participated as a team. On the same day, Kim Min-sun and Kim Min-seok each won the women’s 500 meter and men’s 1500 meter race, adding two more gold medals to the Korean record.

As for short track speed skating, Choi Min-jeong became the first female athlete to earn three lifetime gold medals after her victory at this Asian Cup. Furthermore, both Jang Sung-woo and Park Ji-won got a gold medal in their respective races despite the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Cup being their first national appearance.

Cha Jun-hwan, who received a silver medal in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, also won a silver medal from men’s single figure skating. Both men and women curling teams advanced to the semifinals, marking their significance.

This Asian Cup took place eight years after the Sapporo Asian Cup in 2017, due to the absence of a host nation. Despite this, the Harbin Asian Cup concluded with remarkable performance of the athletes. Many speculate that Korean athletes that appeared in the Harbin are expected to compete again in the upcoming 2026 Milano Winter Olympic.