Kwak Yoon-gy shows a different side of Korean short track

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Published: 23 Feb. 2022, 16:54 Updated: 23 Feb. 2022, 17:12

Kwak Yoon-gy shows a different side of Korean short track

Kwak Yoon-gy [JOONGANG ILBO]

Veteran short track speed skater Kwak Yoon-gy picked up his second Olympic medal at the Beijing Games, but it was as much his antics off the ice as his success on it that caught the eye of sports fans around the world.

Kwak, a three-time Olympian and the oldest short track speed skater on the Korean team, picked up his second Olympic medal in Beijing, winning silver in the men's 5,000-meter relay. Twelve years ago, he also won the 5,000-meter relay silver medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Kwak is already a household name for his sporting achievements — as well as appearing at the Vancouver, PyeongChang and Beijing Games, he was also the 2012 world champion — but he's now starting to gain attention for something completely different: His YouTube channel.

Kwak Yoon-gy's YouTube channel [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kwak's YouTube channel "Kkwak Jaba Yoon-gy" literally translates as "Hold on tight, Yoon-gy," but also plays on the fact that his last name "Kwak" sounds like the Korean word for "tightly." Before the Olympics, Kwak had 16,000 subscribers to the channel. As of Wednesday, he has 1.26 million.

Kwak, who is still in quarantine after returning from Beijing, talked to the JoongAng Ilbo about his Youtube channel hitting the million-subscriber mark and his Olympics swan song.

"It doesn't make sense," said Kwak. "Before the Olympics, I would start a live broadcast and there would be no more than 600 viewers. But now, I have more than 40,000 viewers tuning in."

It was Kwak's personality as both a friendly — and often mischievous — teammate and reliable leader that people found relatable, especially as he offered a light-hearted, pink-haired alternative to the many controversies that have surrounded Korean short track speed skating for the past decade.

Starting with the deep-rooted factionalism in the Korea Skating Union (KSU) that led to Ahn Hyun-soo defecting to Russia in 2011, Korean short track has been through a turbulent decade. With scandals ranging from physically and mentally abusive coaches to disgruntled teammates and in-fighting, short track's image has grown increasingly controversial, even if it is Korea's winningest sport.

From left, Lee June-seo, Kim Dong-wook, Park Jang-hyuk, Kwak Yoon-gy and Hwang Dae-heon celebrate on the podium at the Beijing Medals Plaza in Beijing on Feb. 17 after winning the men's 5000-meter team relay silver medal. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

But people's interest in Kwak's videos suggest that he is putting the sport under a brighter light. On and off the ice, Kwak had often displayed his fondness for his teammates, having stated before the Games that he wanted to do the bulk of the work in the relay race.

"With 18 laps left [in the 5,000-meter relay final,] there was contact with Steven Dubois of Canada actually," said Kwak.

"My left blade was damaged after it sunk into a deep crack in the ice. If that happens, we usually change racers. But I decided it was too late in the race to do so and I thought I just needed to power through. With nine laps left, I saw a chance to take the inner course, but my left blade was slippery like I was stepping on a banana peel. It's like getting a flat tire."

Kwak Yoon-gy, left, races beside Steven Dubois of Canada in the men's 5,000-meter relay final at the Capital Indoor Stadium on Feb.16. [YONHAP]

Despite missing out on a gold medal at his last Olympics, Kwak didn't seem too disappointed. Instead, he once again took the opportunity to perform the dance from BTS's "Dynamite" on the podium.

"I am not the best dancer but I think it's more important where I put on the performance and that I put my heart into it," Kwak said. "It's important that I danced to the music of the biggest Korean star on the world stage where everyone could see me."

Kwak Yoon-gy, center, celebrates during the victory ceremony after Korea's second place finish in the men's 5,000-meter relay final at Capital Indoor Stadium at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb. 16. [AP/YONHAP]

Kwak Yoon-gy, center, dances on the podium at the 2010 Vancouver Games after winning the men's 5,000-meter relay silver medal. [SBS/JOONGANG ILBO]

Kwak has already mentioned that the Beijing Games will be his last, but fans are already begging for the 32-year-old to give it one more shot at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games.

“I am sorry to disappoint everyone,” said Kwak. “I am determined to lower all expectations. But who knows, I might be there in four years not as an athlete, but as a YouTuber looking to make short track even more popular.”

BY PARK RIN, KIM HYO-KYUNG AND YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]