Kim Yu-seong (; born 12 June 2009) is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2026 Nepela Memorial champion, the 2026 Cranberry Cup champion, and the 2026 South Korean national silver medalist.
On the junior level, she is the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final 2025–26 silver medalist, a five-time ISU Junior Grand Prix medalist, having won two gold medals and three silver medals, and the 2023 South Korean junior national champion.
Personal life Kim was born on June 12, 2009, in Seoul. Her fraternal twin sister, Yu-jae, who is six minutes older than her, is also a competitive figure skater.
Career Early years Kim's mother, Ga-young, first enrolled her and her sister Yu-jae in figure skating classes during their second year of elementary school to improve their health. In 2019, both sisters moved to train in Gwacheon under the tutelage of Choi Hyung-kyung.
2022–23 season Kim made her international junior debut at the 2022 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, where she won the silver medal. She later won the 2023 South Korean Junior Championships.
2023–24 season Kim began the season by entering the 2023 South Korean Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers in July, where she placed fourth overall. She was then awarded two assignments at the ISU Junior Grand Prix, where she won silver medals at the 2023 JGP Hungary and the 2023 JGP Thailand, qualifying her for the Junior Grand Prix Final. At the former JGP event, Kim was noted to have landed a triple Axel during her free skate program, making her the third South Korean woman in history to have successfully landed the jump in international competition, following You Young and Kim Yu-jae, Kim's twin sister.
In late September, it was announced that Kim and her sister made a coaching change from Choi Hyung-kyung to Chi Hyun-jung and Kim Jin-seo.
During the domestic qualifiers for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in October, Kim finished at second place behind Shin Ji-a; as a result, both Shin and Kim were selected to represent South Korea at the competition the following year. In December, Kim competed at the 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix Final in Beijing, where she placed fifth in the short program, fourth in the free skate, and fourth overall.
Competing at the senior level, Kim entered the 2024 South Korean Championships, where she ranked fourth overall. At the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, Kim placed fourth in the short program, free skate, and overall total, resulting in an off-podium finish behind Mao Shimada, Yo Takagi, and Shin. Together with her sister Yu-jae and Shin, Kim was selected to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, where she placed 15th overall.
2024–25 season
Upon securing the silver medal at the 2024 South Korean Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers, Kim was once again assigned to two events at the ISU Junior Grand Prix series. At the 2024 JGP Turkey, she won her first international title after scoring personal best scores in both the short program and the free skate. Kim then won a silver medal at the 2024 JGP China. The two results qualified her for the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, where she ranked at fifth place in the short program, free skate, and overall total.
Entering the 2025 South Korean Championships at the senior level, Kim repeated her fourth-place finish. In February, she was invited to skate in the exhibition gala at the 2025 Four Continents Championships, which took place in Seoul. She later concluded the season by competing at the junior women's category of the 2025 Thailand Open Trophy in Bangkok, where she won the gold medal.
2025–26 season: Junior Grand Prix Final silver Kim secured her two Junior Grand Prix assignments with a silver medal at the domestic JGP qualifying competition. Kim then competed at the 2025 JGP Latvia, where she placed fifth, and the 2025 JGP Azerbaijan, where she earned her second JGP gold medal. Both results allowed Kim to qualify for the 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix Final for a third consecutive time. Her sister, Yu-jae, also qualified for the event. During the competition, Kim placed fifth in the short program and third in the free skate, scoring personal bests in both the free skate and total scores. She ultimately earned a silver medal finish behind Mao Shimada.
In January, Kim competed at the 2026 South Korean Championships, winning the silver medal. In March, she concluded her season by competing at the 2026 World Junior Championships, where she placed thirteenth in both the short and free programs to finish in thirteenth place overall.
2026-27 season Kim opened the season by winning the 2026 CS Cranberry Cup International in her senior international debut. She additionally won the 2026 Nepela Memorial, setting a new personal best free skate score with a 141.43. https://www.rockerskating.com/competition/2627cssvk?tab=results
Programs Season Short program Free skating Exhibition 2026–2027 Fosse I Gotcha Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries Fosse’s World: Calypso / Snake in the Grass Evita You Must Love Me Buenos Aires Don't Cry for Me Argentina 2025–2026 Clair de lune
"Eye of the Untold Her" Titanic Distant Memories A Building Panic My Heart Will Go On 2024–2025 Clair de lune "Swift Sword" "A Love Before Time" "Don't I Make It Look Easy" "Me Too" 2023–2024 "Fly Me to the Moon (Inspired by Final Fantasy XIV)" The Lark Ascending 2022–2023
Competitive highlights
Detailed results
Senior level
Junior level Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. 2025–26 season Date Event Level SP FS Total March 3-8, 2026 2026 World Junior Championships Junior 13 59.44 13 116.46 13 175.90 January 3–6, 2026 2026 South Korean Championships Senior 2 68.25 2 144.58 2 212.83December 4–7, 20252025-26 JGP FinalJunior 5 64.063 134.60 2 198.66 September 23–26, 2025 2025 JGP Azerbaijan Junior 1 59.68 2 126.31 1 185.99 August 20–23, 2025 2025 JGP Latvia Junior 8 54.70 3 116.69 5 171.39 2024–25 season Date Event Level SP FS Total May 2–6, 2025 2025 Thailand Open Junior 1 59.07 1 118.33 1 177.40 January 2–5, 2025 2025 South Korean Championships Senior 5 63.08 3 129.44 4 192.52 December 5–8, 2024 2024–25 JGP Final Junior 5 64.42 5 119.81 5 184.23 October 9–12, 2024 2024 JGP China Junior 1 64.20 2 128.03 2 192.23 September 18–21, 2024 2024 JGP Turkey Junior 2 64.72 1 133.91 1 198.63 2023–24 season Date Event Level SP FS Total February 26–March 3, 2024 2024 World Junior Championships Junior 9 59.58 15 111.22 15 170.80 January 28–30, 2024 2024 Winter Youth Olympics Junior 4 63.64 4 117.89 4 181.53 January 4–7, 2024 2024 South Korean Championships Senior 7 64.93 4 135.80 4 200.73 December 7–10, 2023 2023–24 JGP Final Junior 5 62.71 4 127.77 4 190.48 August 30–September 2, 2023 2023 JGP Hungary Junior 6 60.03 3 116.95 2 176.98 August 23–26, 2023 2023 JGP Thailand Junior 2 63.04 1 126.88 2 189.92 2022–23 season Date Event Level SP FS Total January 5–8, 2023 2023 South Korean Championships Junior 1 59.35 1 117.72 1 177.07 October 26–29, 2022 2022 Denis Ten Memorial Challenge Junior 2 58.26 2 95.64 2 153.90
References
External links