Kim Yu-na Picks Unusual Music for Short Program

World figure skating champion Kim Yu-na has made an unusual choice for her background music ahead of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, next year.

Returning to Korea yesterday, Kim, 19, said, “I’ve chosen the James Bond theme as the music for my short program this season and George Gershwin’s ‘Piano Concerto in F Major’ for my free skating performance.”

Kim was welcomed by more than 300 fans at Incheon International Airport despite arriving early in the morning. She will perform at the three-day Samsung Hauzen Ice All Stars show from Friday at Seoul Olympic Park.

Both the James Bond theme and other music from movie soundtracks will be used in her short program. A version of the piano concerto has been composed for her by arranging chapters one (allegro) and three (allegro agitato).

Last season, the music for Kim’s short program was “Dance Macabre,” a song familiar to figure skating fans, and she skated to “Scheherazade” in her free skating program. The two performances in March earned her the world title in Los Angeles, where she achieved a world first by surpassing 200 points.

Analysts say Kim’s unusual choice of the background music stems from her confidence and seeks to distinguish herself from her competitors.

SBS figure skating commentator Bahng Sang-ah said, “Though the music is unfamiliar, it draws attention all the more,” adding, “With nobody having the capacity to perform as well as Kim, she seems to have picked the music to gain the upper hand in mental rivalry.”

Figure skating coach Shin Hye-sook, who once trained Kim, also said, “The choice seems to reflect Kim’s confidence in entering uncharted territory.”

Kim’s current coach Brian Orser recently told the figure skating news site Ice Network, “Kim looks violent and energetic in the short program. She even looks mature and sexy.”

Her new program will premiere at the preliminaries of the Figure Grand Prix Series in Paris Oct. 15-18.

creating@donga.com