# Wherefore South Korea's interest/skill in winter sports? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864 "2010-02-21T11:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/1 "2010-02-21T11:55:08Z")
I have to admit, when I think of “South Korea,” I don’t think of ice, snow, or skating. Is there something about the geography that lends itself to winter sports? The culture? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/2 "2010-02-21T12:41:13Z")
Topography? They have three mountain ranges. Culture? The culture of skiing knows no bounds. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/3 "2010-02-21T13:59:05Z")
Winter Winter comes early to northern Korea, usually beginning in October when the intense arctic cold of the Siberian High begins to move into northern Korea. The northern rivers begin to freeze over as severe cold waves sweep south across the Manchurian Plain, bringing frigid, dry air into Korea. For most of Korea the real cold comes later, around January. Although precipitation in December is slight, cyclonic storms can drag enough snowfall onshore to cover the ground across most of North Korea. C (-7°F). * * * NOTE FROM Moderator: For full article, see: [http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Kr/KrWX3.htm](http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Kr/KrWX3.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/4 "2010-02-21T14:36:50Z")
OMG, China Guy is actually Jim Cantore. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/5 "2010-02-21T23:28:26Z")
I’m Korean and I have no idea why we’re so good at skating. But I do think the entire country suffers from an inferiority complex. The Olympics is a rare opportunity for us to be better than other countries at something. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/6 "2010-02-21T23:32:07Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I’m Korean and I have no idea why we’re so good at skating. But I do think the entire country suffers from an inferiority complex. The Olympics is a rare opportunity for us to be better than other countries at something. I sometimes live and work in Korea and notice that they are very competitive–with Japan, with China and with the US. It was just a matter of time before they became an Olympic powerhouse. A little odd that they’d pick winter, but winter it is! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/7 "2010-02-21T23:41:42Z")
Korea’s a rich country and it just happens that skating got popular there. That happens. You’ll notice the Korean hockey team’s nowhere to be seen, and they’re not exactly tearing up the slopes in alpine skiing, but lots of countries are, for whatever reason, really good at one sport. The one that kills me is Australians. I find it amazing Australia even sends people to the Winter Games; are there ANY winter sports there of note? ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/8 "2010-02-22T00:27:38Z")
Australia has had 4 gold medals in the Winter Olympics. One this year in the women’s halfpipe, a couple for freestyle skiing and an absolutely hilarious one for short track speed skating, where the guy only won because all the other competitors stacked at the end (he, being waaaay behind everyone else, was not caught in the tangle, and default skated his way to victory). [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lfQMJtilOGg/hqdefault.jpg "Speed Skating 1,000 Meters - Steven Bradbury 2002 Olympics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfQMJtilOGg) There’s some skiing and snowboarding here, but our winters are mild and our mountains pretty crappy. Apparently we sent a few lugers to Vancouver - who would have thought! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/9 "2010-02-22T00:35:49Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The one that kills me is Australians. I find it amazing Australia even sends people to the Winter Games; are there ANY winter sports there of note? You’ll run into quote a few Australians in Tahoe (CA/NV ski areas). ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/10 "2010-02-22T00:58:39Z")
There was one in the FIS race in Thunder Bay last weekend. I also came upon one who was ski patrolling today. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/11 "2010-02-22T01:17:38Z")
**China Guy** , please do not paste material from other websites without attribution. The information contained in the above post may be found here, at [Korean History Project.org](http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Jta/Kr/KrWX3.htm). **Ellen Cherry Game Room Moderator** ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/12 "2010-02-22T01:33:07Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I have to admit, when I think of “South Korea,” I don’t think of ice, snow, or skating. Is there something about the geography that lends itself to winter sports? The culture? Why , first thing I thought of was the Chosen Frozen. Declan ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/13 "2010-02-22T01:34:22Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Korea’s a rich country and it just happens that skating got popular there. That happens. You’ll notice the Korean hockey team’s nowhere to be seen, and they’re not exactly tearing up the slopes in alpine skiing, but lots of countries are, for whatever reason, really good at one sport. I assumed that the body type for speed skating tends towards being smaller than average. I don’t think we have the facilities for alpine skiing and we’d get flattened playing ice hockey with any other country. I disagree on the rich part - seems like training speed skaters is the cheapest option since all you really need is an ice rink. (I’m making all sorts of assumptions here, so apologies if I’m totally off base.) Everyone in Korea is waiting for the women’s figure skating to start. I love Kim Yuna but nowadays every other TV commercial has her in it (even a car commercial - she doesn’t even have a license) and it’s getting annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/14 "2010-02-22T03:14:55Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > … and an absolutely hilarious one for short track speed skating, where the guy only won because all the other competitors stacked at the end (he, being waaaay behind everyone else, was not caught in the tangle, and default skated his way to victory). It was actually a pretty good strategy, and one that takes some guts. As he pointed out in an interview, he knew he was nowhere near in the same league as the other three in the final. He also pointed out that short track skating can easily end up with at least one skater on the ground, especially when the prize is an Olympic gold medal. All he needed was for one of the others to mess up and he had an Olympic medal, as long as he stayed out of trouble. As it happened, all three crashed on the last bend and he cruised to victory. I said it was a gutsy strategy, because if you make the Olympic final and don’t even try to keep up with the others, your commitment will be severely questioned if you come back home with a 4th placing. But of course it didn’t happen that way and now he’s a national hero - the Olympic gold medalist who couldn’t be arsed trying to go too fast. ---
**Author:** ![BMada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BMada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMada)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/15 "2010-02-22T03:18:10Z")
I’m pretty sure it’s because South Korea treats short track like what Canadians do in Ice Hockey. Or that’s what’s being bandied about by Canadian broadcasting announcers. I’ve even read it in an article in the Toronto Star or Sun today that they start really early like age 4 to 5. That’s when Canadian boys start playing hockey. They learn all the strats, the technique, etc. By the time they hit 18 they have all of it down to a science where as short track Canadian skaters are learning all of that later because they couldn’t make the hockey teams…(half joke) ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/16 "2010-02-22T03:39:26Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I disagree on the rich part - seems like training speed skaters is the cheapest option since all you really need is an ice rink. (I’m making all sorts of assumptions here, so apologies if I’m totally off base.) Ice rinks are extremely expensive to run, even in a cold-winter country. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/17 "2010-02-22T04:16:21Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > **China Guy** , please do not paste material from other websites without attribution. \*\* Opps, sorry. Will do in the future. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/18 "2010-02-22T04:22:55Z")
Koreans try out winter sports if their internet connection is down and they can’t play Starcraft. ---
**Author:** ![BMada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BMada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMada)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/19 "2010-02-22T04:27:30Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Koreans try out winter sports if their internet connection is down and they can’t play Starcraft. don’t they have the best internet connection in the world? Starcraft2 is coming out so less skaters for Sochi, Russia. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864/20 "2010-02-22T04:53:39Z")
Figure skating in South Korea is a rather new phenomenon, I think. In the late 70s, I was acquainted with a young Korean woman who competed in the world figure skating championships. She’s mentioned in this [1978 newspaper article](http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19780311&id=25IuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UqEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3236,2620722): > [@](#): > > If they gave medals for courage, one would certainly go to a skater who shares Pockar’s coach, Young Soon Choo of Korea. > > She started skating in England when her diplomat father was posted there. > > “There’s only one indoor ice rink in the whole country of Korea,” she said, “and they don’t have a Zamboni. They just spray it with water.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wherefore-south-koreas-interest-skill-in-winter-sports/529864.md?page=2)