Park Sung-hoon carries Winter Olympics torch in Milan

“The Olympics were my first dream as an athlete. Although I was not competing as a skater, it was an honor to represent South Korea as an idol,” said Park Sung-hoon of the K-pop group ENHYPEN after serving as a torchbearer for the 2026 Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics on Wednesday local time in Milan. Fans crowded the area near Milan’s Bolivar Station, where Park carried the torch, to catch a glimpse of him in person.

Although Park is now a globally popular K-pop star, he spent much of his youth as a figure skater. He competed in men’s singles for about a decade and was skilled enough to earn a spot on South Korea’s national reserve team. In the 2015-16 season, he won the men’s novice title at the International Skating Union Lombardia Trophy.

Park retired from competitive skating in 2019 and officially debuted as a member of ENHYPEN the following year after appearing on an audition program. Speaking at a news conference at Korea House after the torch relay, he said his agency cast him after watching videos of his skating, adding that it would not be an exaggeration to say the sport paved his path to becoming an idol. Drawing on his athletic background, he later accepted a role as a promotional ambassador for the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee.

Park is also close to South Korea’s two men’s singles skaters competing at the Olympics, Cha Jun-hwan, 25, and Kim Hyun-gyeom, 20. “When I was competing, I always watched Jun-hwan and learned from him as an older brother and senior,” Park said. “He is an exceptional skater in every respect and a truly well-rounded athlete.” Cha is aiming to secure South Korea’s first-ever Olympic medal in men’s figure skating.

Park has also passed down costumes he once wore to Kim, his junior. Kim skated in a red blouse while qualifying for the national team during the 2023-24 season, an outfit that originally belonged to Park. “Hyun-gyeom has worked incredibly hard since he was very young. I always believed he would reach the Olympics one day,” Park said. The Milano-Cortina Games mark Kim’s first Olympic appearance.

This was Park’s fifth visit to Milan. His previous four trips were for idol-related activities, while this visit centered on the Olympics. “I am happy to share this Olympic journey with everyone,” Park said. “Many ENHYPEN fans came out, and I could also feel the passion of sports fans. In that sense, I feel I have fulfilled my own Olympic dream.””


임보미 bom@donga.com