It is known that the 2026 Winter Olympics of former men's speed skating national team player Kim Min-seok (Seongnam City Hall), who was disciplined for a drunk driving accident, depends on the police investigation.
An official of the Korea Sports Council said, "It seems that Kim Min-seok's ability to participate in the next Olympics will be decided according to the results of the investigation by the Jincheon Police Station."
Min-seok Kim, a bronze medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, had a drink at a restaurant near the Jincheon Athlete's Village with three of his teammates in July during reinforcement training and then hit a sidewalk block while driving inside the village.
The Korea Skating Federation held a Sports Fair Committee on August 8 and imposed a severe disciplinary action against Kim Min-seok for one year and six months.
However, at this time, it seemed that there would be no problem in participating in the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics in February 2026.
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However, the Korea Sports Association <Regulations for selection and operation of national representatives> emerged as a variable.
Article 10 of this regulation (reasons for disqualification) stipulates that "a person who has been sentenced to a fine of 5 million won or more for drunk driving and three years has not passed since the sentence was finalized cannot become a national representative."
In addition, if two years have not passed since the sentence was finalized after being sentenced to a fine of less than 5 million won, the qualification for the national team will be selected.
Accordingly, if Min-seok Kim is sentenced to a fine of 5 million won or more, he will be frustrated from participating in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
The final survey results are expected to come out within this year, but three years later, the end of 2025 will be the end of the year.
If Min-seok Kim receives a fine of less than 5 million won, the road to challenge to Milan with the Taegeuk mark will be opened from early 2025.
If you look at the current law, if your blood alcohol level is between 0.03% and 0.08%, you can be sentenced to up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 5 million won.
0.03% is a license suspension, and 0.08% is a license revocation criterion.
In addition, if the blood alcohol level is less than 0.08% to 0.2%, imprisonment for up to 1 to 2 years or a fine of 5 to 10 million won is imposed.
Although it is a fact that Kim Min-seok admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol, he did not receive a 'blood alcohol concentration' from the police.
So, there is no metric that is the most important basis for determining the level of penalties for drunk driving.
The Jincheon Police Station in North Chungcheong Province confirmed the amount of alcohol consumed by Kim Min-seok through CCTV of the restaurant and the testimony of the restaurant owner.
The amount of alcohol consumed, the time he drank, and the weight of Kim Min-seok are comprehensively considered to estimate the blood alcohol level.
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A representative of the Korea Sports Association said, "The police seem to choose one of three things. The best scenario for Kim Min-seok is no punishment at all. The second is to receive a fine of less than 5 million won, and the worst case is 5 million won. There will be more fines than this,” he said.
Kim Min-seok, along with his teammates Jeong Jae-woong, Jeong Jae-won, and Jeong Seon-kyo, returned to the athletes' village in a car owned by Kim Min-seok, driven by Jeong Jae-woong, after drinking while eating near the Jincheon Athlete's Village on the afternoon of July 22.
Among them, Kim Min-seok, Jeong Jae-woong, and Jeong Seon-kyo were resting at the dormitory and were invited to the birthday party of the short track national team Park Ji-yoon (Uijeongbu City Hall) and went down to the Welcome Center at the main gate of the athletes' village. On the way back to the dormitory after carrying Ji-yoon Park, there was an accident that collided with the boundary stone of a sidewalk block in the village.
Immediately after the accident, they left the vehicle and went to the dormitory, and the truth was revealed through an investigation by the Korea Sports Association.
Kim Min-seok is a Korean mid- and long-distance ice skater who won a silver medal in speed skating at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and a bronze medal in men's 1,500 m in speed skating, and a bronze medal in the men's 1,500 m event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.