Wi Seo-yeong (; born March 15, 2005) is a retired South Korean competitive

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. She is the

2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2022 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 21–24, 2022, in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was the third event of the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Entrie ...

silver medalist. On the junior level, she is the 2019 JGP France silver medalist and the 2018 South Korean junior national champion. She placed in the top six at two World Junior Championships (

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Personal life

Wi Seo-yeong was born on March 15, 2005, in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. She is currently a student at

Korea University Korea University (KU, ) is a Private university, private research university in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1905 by Yi Yong-ik, Lee Yong-Ik, a prominent official of the Korean Empire, Korea University is among South Korea's oldest List of ...

Career

Early career

Wi began figure skating in 2010 at the age of six. She moved to

Gwacheon Gwacheon (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies close to Seoul in the heart of the Seoul National Capital Area, and also lies just east of Anyang, Gyeonggi, Anyang. Seoul Subway Line 4 pa ...

at the age of twelve to train under Choi Hyung-kyung. She is considered part of the second generation of "Yuna Kids," South Korean ladies who began skating after being inspired by 2010 Olympic Champion

Yuna Kim Yuna Kim (; born September 5, 1990), also credited in eastern name order as Kim Yuna or Kim Yeon-a, is a South Korean figure skater. Known for her well-rounded skills, achievements, popularity, and impact on the sport, she is one of the most ...

. Wi won the gold medal at the 2018 South Korean Junior Championships.

2018–2019 season

Wi made her junior international debut at the 2018 Asian Open Trophy in August, where she won the bronze medal behind teammate Lee Hae-in and

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Gabriella Izzo Gabriella Izzo (born August 5, 2001) is an American-born pair skater who currently competes with Luc Maierhofer for Austria. Together, they are the 2025 Austrian national silver medalists and the 2024 Ice Challenge champions. As a singles skate ...

. She then received her first

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

assignments, placing fourth at both 2018 JGP Czech Republic and 2018 JGP Armenia. Competing as a senior domestically for the first time, Wi placed sixth at the 2019 South Korean Championships and was not selected for the 2019 World Junior Championships team.

2019–2020 season

Wi opened the season by winning her first

medal, silver, at 2019 JGP France behind

Kamila Valieva Kamila Valeryevna Valieva ( ; born 26 April 2006) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2021 Rostelecom Cup champion, the 2021 Skate Canada champion, the 2020 Junior World champion, the 2019-20 Junior Grand Prix Final champion and the 2021 ...

and ahead of

Maiia Khromykh Maya or Maiia Vladislavovna Khromykh (; born 25 May 2006) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia silver medalist, the 2021 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist, the 2021 CS Warsaw Cup champion, and the 2021 Budapest Trophy ...

, both of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Although Wi had to wear tape around her skates due her her skate boots had collapsing prior to the competition, she managed to become the fifth Korean lady to score above 190 points internationally at the event. Wi's medal set off a series of consecutive medal wins by Korean ladies on the 2019–20 Junior Grand Prix. At her second event, 2019 JGP Poland, she finished fourth behind

Alysa Liu Alysa Liu (born August 8, 2005) is an American figure skater. She is the 2025 World champion, 2022 World bronze medalist, 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy champion, 2021 Lombardia Trophy champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion (2019, 2020). At ...

, Viktoria Vasilieva, and

Anastasia Tarakanova Anastasia Anatolyevna Tarakanova (; born 14 April 2004) is a Russian retired figure skater. She is the 2017 JGP Austria and 2018 JGP Slovenia champion, and the 2017–18 JGP Final bronze medalist. She has won seven medals on the ISU Junior Gra ...

. She then competed at the 2019 Asian Open Trophy in November, winning gold by over 30 points ahead of teammate Ji Seo-yeon and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

's Hiu Yau Chow. Wi finished fourth in the senior division at the 2020 South Korean Championships, behind

You Young You Young (; born May 27, 2004) is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2020 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, 2020 Four Continents silver medalist, a four-time ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, Grand Prix bronze medalist, a f ...

, Lee Hae-in, and Kim Ye-lim. As a result, she was named to the 2020 World Junior Championships team alongside Lee. At the 2020 World Junior Championships, Wi placed sixth in the short program after her flying sit spin was invalidated. She said: "It's my first Junior Worlds, so I was very nervous today. I did no big mistakes, so I'm very satisfied." Wi improved to fifth in the free skate to finish sixth overall. Her placement, combined with Lee's, earned South Korea three spots for the next season.

2020–2021 season

With the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

greatly curtailing competitive opportunities for South Korean skaters, Wi competed first at the 2021 South Korean Championships, finishing fifth.

2021–2022 season

With the resumption of the regular international season, Wi was assigned to make her

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

debut at the 2021 NHK Trophy, where she finished in ninth place. Due to her national result, Wi was named to South Korea's team for the 2022 World Junior Championships, but events would soon complicate the situation. Shortly after the conclusion of the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

, Russia invaded Ukraine. As a result, the

International Skating Union The International Skating Union (ISU) is the international sport governing body, governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded ...

banned all Russian athletes from competing at ISU championships. As Russian women had dominated international figure skating in recent years, this had a significant impact on the field. Due to both the invasion and the

Omicron variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a Variants of SARS-CoV-2, variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has ...

, the World Junior Championships could not be held as scheduled in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

in early March and were rescheduled for mid-April in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. Wi placed fifth in the short program. She was sixth in the free skate after falling on her final double Axel attempt but remained in fifth place overall.

2022–2023 season

Wi began the season with her Challenger series debut at the

. Although she had come down with the flu during the competition, she managed to win the silver medal after placing third in the short program and winning the free skate. Given one

assignment, Wi was assigned to compete at the

2022 NHK Trophy The 2022 NHK Trophy was the fifth event of the 2022-23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Makomanai Ice Arena in Sapporo, Japan, from November 18-20. Medals were awa ...

. Prior to the event, Wi contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

, but was cleared on time for the competition. She would ultimately finish eighth. She then closed her season with a ninth-place finish at the 2023 Korean Championships.

2023–2024 season

Wi came thirteenth at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy, her first competition of the season. On the

, she was twelfth of twelve skaters at the 2023 Skate America and tenth at the

2023 NHK Trophy The 2023 NHK Trophy was the sixth event of the 2023–24 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Towa Pharmaceutical Ractab Dome in Osaka, Japan, from November 24–26. ...

. At the annual national ranking competition, Wi won the bronze medal and was selected to represent South Korea at the 2024 Four Continents Championships. She went on to compete at the 2024 South Korean Championships, where she finished in twelfth place. At the Four Continents Championships in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, Wi came sixth in the short program. She was fifth in the free skate, her only mistake being a slight underrotation on a double toe loop, rising to fifth overall. Wi remarked "I wanted to do my best and I think I did."

2024–2025 season

Wi began the season by finishing thirteenth at the

2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held on September 19–21, 2024, in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. En ...

. She subsequently went on to compete at the 2024 Korean Universiade and Asian Games Qualifiers, where she finished fifth. With this result, Wi was selected to represent South Korea at the

2025 Winter World University Games The 2025 FISU Winter World University Games, also known as the XXXII Winter World University Games, or the 32nd Winter Universiade, and commonly known as Turin 2025 or Torino 2025, was a multi-sport event for student and youth athletes, held bet ...

. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Wi finished eleventh at

2024 Skate Canada International The 2024 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2024–25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from October 25 ...

and seventh at the

2024 NHK Trophy The 2024 NHK Trophy was the fourth event of the 2024–25 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, from November 8–10. Medals w ...

. In late November, Wi competed at the South Korean Ranking Competition, where she finished in seventh place. One month later, she placed tenth at the 2025 South Korean Championships. Going on to compete at the

, Wi finished in twelfth place. Shortly following the event, Wi announced her retirement from competitive figure skating. A couple weeks later, Wi, alongside fellow retired figure skaters,

Lim Eun-soo Lim Eun-soo (; born February 26, 2003) is a retired South Korean figure skater. She is the 2018 Rostelecom Cup bronze medalist, the two-time Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, CS Asian Open champion (2018 CS Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, 2018 ...

and

Choi Da-bin Choi Da-bin (; born January 19, 2000) is a retired South Korean competitive figure skater. She is the 2017 Asian Winter Games champion and a 5-time South Korean national medalist (three silver, two bronze). She has placed in the top ten at the ...

, were invited to perform together during the Gala at the 2025 Four Continents Championships, which were held in

Programs

Competitive highlights

''GP:

; CS: Challenger Series; JGP:

Detailed results

Senior level

Junior level

References

External links

*
Seoyeong Wi
at SkatingScores.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wi, Seo-yeong 2005 births Living people South Korean female single skaters Figure skaters from Seoul Sportspeople from Hwaseong, Gyeonggi 21st-century South Korean sportswomen Competitors at the 2025 Winter World University Games