March 2025
The Winter Asian Games Harbin 2025 were held from Feb. 7 to 14 in the return of Asia’s biggest winter sporting event. Korean athletes in the competition put on a surprisingly strong performance that delighted viewers from around the world. The Korean team came in second overall, reinforcing the country’s status as a reliable contender in winter sports.
Writer. Sung Ji Yeon
Photos courtesy of. Korea Sports & Olympic Committee
The 9th Asian Winter Games took place for eight days this February in the Chinese city of Harbin. Under the slogan of “Dream of Winter, Love Among Asia,” the competition brought some 1,275 athletes from 34 countries together with 64 gold medals in play. The Korean national team featured 148 athletes competing in all available categories, including ice hockey, curling, skating, skiing, biathlon and ski mountaineering.
Korean athletes put on an outstanding performance in this year’s Asiad, as the games are also known. Athletes proved their talents in ice and snow events, both on an individual and team basis. Their energetic performance in the games was exciting and energizing for spectators. Thanks to fans’ vocal support, the Korean team came in second place overall.
The Korean team’s performance was even better than expected. The original goal was to take home 11 gold medals from the games. But the Korean athletes ended up winning 16 gold medals, 15 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. With 16 gold medals, the team set a new record for the Asiad.
In short-track speed, Korean athletes won six gold medals, four silver medals and three bronze medals. The Korean team also put on a good showing in speed skating, bringing home three gold medals, five silver medals and four bronze medals. Korea’s curling athletes were also in fine form. From the qualifiers to the finals, the women’s curling team sailed through all ten matches without losing one.
There were also two categories where the Korean team made history with their first gold ever: biathlon and freestyle skiing. In figure skating, Koreans claimed the gold in both men’s and women’s single skating, another first. In snowboarding, a clutch of talented teenagers showed the world that Korea has the stuff with two gold medals and three bronze medals.
Korea has a reputation for being formidable on the ice. But the young phenoms tackling new categories at this year’s games served as an opportunity to show that Korea is a contender across the whole spectrum of winter sports. Korean viewers took pride in their country’s status as a sporting powerhouse and are sure to cheer all the louder the next time their athletes take the field.
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon praised the Korean athletes at the Winter Asian Games Harbin 2025 for “their physical exertion in preparing for the games.” Yu added, “Our athletes’ efforts were richly rewarded, and Koreans certainly took joy in their achievements.”
© TongRo Images Inc.
Korea’s leading celebration of cherry blossoms is the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, which lasts nine days from Mar. 29 to Apr. 6. The festival is held in the Jinhae District of Changwon, a city on Korea’s southern coast. Thanks to its temperate clime, the area is famously the first to see cherry blossoms in Korea. Dating back to 1963, the Gunhangje Festival will be held for the 63rd time this year. The festival was initially organized in honor of Yi Sun-shin, the famed admiral of the Joseon Dynasty. But since then, it has evolved into one of Korea’s leading spring festivals with plenty of cultural events for everybody to enjoy.
This year, the area around Jinhae Station is expected to be packed with people out to see the spring flowers, with a total of 360,000 cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Jehwangsan Park Monorail Car is a favorite among visitors, gliding above endless rows of cherry blossom trees.
To be sure, there’s more to the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival than viewing cherry blossom flowers. The festival program also features food trucks serving dishes redolent with the fragrance of cherry blossoms and a flea market complete with local delicacies and recreational activities. Another alluring option is the cherry blossom tour, where visitors can hear fascinating local anecdotes during an evening walk under the cherry blossoms. In addition, the Cherry Blossom Music Festival will be held from Mar. 29 to 30, featuring some of Korea’s best-known R&B singers and bands, including Park Jung-hyun (Lena Park), 10CM and Jukjae. There will also be a delightful classic concert under the cherry blossoms and an EDM festival on the evening of Mar. 31. Also on the schedule: traditional cultural performances and a singing competition open to the general public.
A military music festival will be held alongside the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival. This year’s festival will feature Korea’s Army, Navy and Air Force, along with the U.S. Eighth Army. Military bands will perform on the ground, and special flight teams will put on a show in the air. Normally off-limits sites are opened up for the duration of the festival, such as the grounds of the Republic of Korea Naval Academy and a museum there. Families may want to consider kid-friendly activities such as touring a “turtle ship,” taking a yacht cruise and trying on naval uniforms.
While the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival is free-of-charge, the concerts and other events do have an admission fee.
© Changwon-si.
