The Korea Skating Union noted that the "inauguration ceremony of the 34th president of the Korea Skating Union" and the "2025 Skaters' Night" event held at the Westin Chosun Seoul Grand Ballroom on the 23rd concluded successfully.

The event consisted of Part 1, the "inauguration ceremony of the 34th president of the Korea Skating Union," and Part 2, the dinner and awards ceremony of the "2025 Skaters' Night."

The event was attended by former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, IOC Commissioner and President of the International Skating Union (ISU) Kim Jae-yeol, Korea Sports Council President Yoo Seong-min, as well as major figures from politics and sports and about 400 guests from various sectors.

The new president, Lee Soo-kyung, announced the federation's new slogan, "Be Happy, Enjoy Skating," during the inauguration speech.

Additionally, she emphasized four key innovation issues: ▲ skating for everyone to enjoy ▲ systematic athlete development ▲ strengthening international cooperation ▲ sustainable support bases, stating, "I will strive to create a federation that can develop further and do my best to meet the expectations of all of you."

Lee Soo-kyung, who began her term as the 34th president of the Korea Skating Union on Feb. 25, previously competed as a figure skater. After retiring from competition, she remained actively involved in the sport, serving as a data operator for the International Skating Union (ISU), an international judge for figure skating, and a board member of the Korea Skating Union.

In addition, Lee Soo-kyung is leading SAMBO MOTORS PL Group as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), holding a dual career as a professional athlete and business leader.

The inauguration ceremony included a flag-passing ceremony to signify the new start of the Korea Skating Union. The flag was passed to President Lee Soo-kyung by Kim Min-seon (Uijeongbu City Hall), a national speed skating representative, Choi Minjeong (Seongnam City Hall), a national short-track representative, and Cha Jun-hwan (Seoul City Hall), a national figure skating representative.

Following that, the declaration ceremony for 'Korea Skating Day' was held.

'Korea Skating Day' is designated as a skating memorial day to commemorate the history of skating in Korea and to celebrate the hope that skating will develop into a sport enjoyed by all, occurring on the last Saturday of April each year. The second part of the event, '2025 Skaters' Night,' opened with a performance by former national figure skating representative Lee Jun-hyung, who is currently active as a musical actor.

During the '2025 Skaters' Night' event, an awards ceremony was held to honor athletes, coaches, referees, and other related individuals from various fields who made significant contributions to the development of skating in Korea through their outstanding performance and dedication during the 2024/25 season.

In the 'best athlete' institutional sector of the 2025 Skaters' Night, Choi Minjeong from short track earned the honor. Choi Minjeong achieved the remarkable feat of winning three events in the women's 500m, 1000m, and mixed relay at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games and secured victory in the 1500m event at the 2025 ISU World Championships.

In the 'outstanding athlete' institutional sector, Kim Min-seon from speed skating was honored. Kim Min-seon secured first place in the women’s 500m and team sprint events at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games and won a bronze medal in the 500m at the ISU World Championships.

The best coach award went to Baek Cheol-ki, head coach of the speed national team, the best referee award was received by Han Myung-seop from speed skating, the best staff award was given to Director Oh Bong-taek from the international training department, and the merit award was awarded to the Gimhae Culture and Tourism Foundation's Citizen Sports Center.

Lee Soo-kyung, president of the Korea Skating Union, expressed gratitude, saying, "I sincerely thank everyone who has shown support for the inauguration ceremony of the 34th president of the Korea Skating Union and the 2025 Skaters' Night event," adding, "I will not spare any effort in supporting the development of skating in Korea to meet the expectations of those who have shown interest and support."

Meanwhile, the union plans to donate all rice wreaths received during this event to neighbors in need, such as victims of forest fires in the Gyeongbuk area.

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