ENHYPEN's Sunghoon Shines as Olympic Torchbearer, Captivating Global Media

From a sports athlete to a K-pop representative torchbearer, ENHYPEN's Sunghoon is capturing the attention of international media with his dramatic journey. ENHYPEN is a boy group formed by Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE Corporation.

On October 5th, Sunghoon participated as a torchbearer for the '2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics' in Milan, Italy. His immense influence drew a large crowd of fans, and his participation was covered by major international media, including the official Olympic news service, Olympics.com. Notably, it is rare for Olympics.com to interview a torchbearer rather than an athlete, highlighting the significant spotlight on Sunghoon.

In an interview with Olympics.com, they described Sunghoon's journey: "A boy who fell in love with figure skating while watching the '2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics' has, ten years later, made the world his stage beyond the ice rink." They added, "He successfully carried the Olympic torch, igniting the streets of Milan and opening the curtain for the largest winter sports festival."

Sunghoon expressed his thoughts in the interview, saying, "Having trained for the Olympics for half my life, I came to Milan with great anticipation. It is an honor to be here as a K-pop artist." He also recommended ENHYPEN's 'Chaconne' (from their mini 4th album 'DARK BLOOD') as a background music for figure skating programs, describing it as "a song that evokes the Black Swan with its dark atmosphere and beautiful melody."

For his goals this year, Sunghoon shared, "Since debuting last year, we have been aiming for a grand prize for five years, and now we are contemplating new goals with the members." He added, "Personally, completing the torch relay was a significant task, so I feel like I've already achieved half of my goals for the year."

The New York Times also highlighted Sunghoon's every move in Milan, noting, "He attracted massive crowds wherever he went," and described the scene at the Olympic Main Press Center, where young volunteers watched his interview in awe.

Additionally, Italy's leading daily, La Repubblica, captured and reported on Sunghoon's torch relay moment surrounded by global fans. Meanwhile, ELLE in the U.S. praised Sunghoon's torch relay fashion, makeup, and hairstyle, calling it a perfect look for the Winter Olympics.

ENHYPEN, to which Sunghoon belongs, is actively bridging K-pop and sports at the '2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.' Their mini 3rd album 'MANIFESTO : DAY 1' features 'SHOUT OUT,' which has been selected as the official cheer song for Team Korea, inspiring the national team with a spirit of victory.

Reporter Lee So-jung, Ten Asia forusojung@tenasia.co.kr