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Short track star Hyo-jun Lim, gold medalist at the PyeongChang Olympics, threw a shock when he decided to naturalize in China. He is expected to compete in the Beijing Olympics as China's representative.



Reporter Kim Hyung-yeol covered it.



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Im Hyo-jun, a Korean short-track signboard, who won the gold and bronze medals at the PyeongChang Olympics and won four World Championships, is expected to wear the Oh Sung-hong flag instead of the Taegeuk mark.



Lim Hyo-jun's management company said, "Im Hyo-jun decided to naturalize after receiving a proposal from the China Ice Skating Federation."



In June 2019, Lim Hyo-jun continued to fight in court after being suspended from the Federation for one year in the case of forcibly harassing a junior player, and after resigning from the national team, he was even criminally prosecuted.



He was acquitted at the second trial, but if the judgment is overturned by the Supreme Court, the suspension of qualifications, which had been suspended during the trial period, will resume, making it impossible to participate in the Beijing Olympics.



Lim Hyo-jun, who left for China yesterday (5th), is expected to compete in the Chinese national team competition next month.



China is absorbing the world's strongest Korean short track ahead of the Beijing Olympics by entrusting the baton to manager Kim Sun-tae, who led the Korean national team at the PyeongChang Olympics, and recruiting Ahn Hyun-soo as a coach and then also naturalizing Lim Hyo-jun.



(Video editing: Kim Byung-jik)