"Has Not Driven Since Drunk Driving Incident"
"No Team or Income Due to Disciplinary Action"
Short Track Mun Won-jun Also Naturalizes to Hungary
Former speed skating national team member Kim Min-seok (25) has ultimately naturalized as a Hungarian citizen. Once a leading star in middle-distance speed skating, he caused controversy in July 2022 due to a drunk driving incident.
The Hungarian Ice Sports Federation recently announced on its website that two athletes, Kim Min-seok and short track skater Moon Won-jun, have completed their naturalization procedures. Through the Hungarian Ice Sports Federation, Kim Min-seok explained the reason for his naturalization: "I received a three-year suspension due to drunk driving in Korea," adding, "I do not want to make excuses for what happened. I regret it and have not driven since the incident."
Kim Min-seok interviewing with the Hungarian Ice Skating Federation. [Image source=Hungarian Ice Skating Federation website·Yonhap News]
He continued, "The Korea Skating Union offered me a chance to participate in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, but I judged it would be difficult if I could not train for three years," and explained, "Due to the suspension, I had neither a team nor income." Kim Min-seok and Moon Won-jun decided to naturalize as Hungarians earlier this year and moved to Hungary in February to train locally while completing the naturalization process.
Previously, Kim Min-seok won a silver medal in the men's team pursuit and a bronze medal in the men's 1500m speed skating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he earned a bronze medal in the 1500m, rising as a leading star in middle-distance speed skating.
However, in July 2022, he caused controversy after a drunk driving accident at the Jincheon National Training Center in Chungbuk. In August of the same year, he was suspended for one year and six months by the Korea Skating Union's Sports Fairness Committee. Later, in May of last year, he was fined 4 million won in court and received a two-year suspension from national team eligibility by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.
Kim Min-seok training with the Hungarian national speed skating team. [Image source: Hungarian Skating Federation website · Yonhap News]
Kim Min-seok's national team suspension was scheduled to end in May 2025. Accordingly, he could have participated in the 2025-2026 speed skating national team selection trials, held between October and November 2025, aiming for the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, after his contract with his former team, Seongnam City Hall, expired, he was unable to properly train on ice. After receiving a naturalization proposal from coach Lee Cheol-won, a Korean coach of the Hungarian ice skating team, he accepted it.
By choosing naturalization, Kim Min-seok can compete for Hungary at the 2026 Winter Olympics. According to Article 41, Paragraph 2 of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter, an athlete who changes nationality must wait three years after competing in an international event for their former country before participating in the Olympics. Since Kim Min-seok last competed in an official international event at the men's 1000m race at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on February 18, 2022, he meets this requirement.
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