KBS Exclusively Broadcasts 2026 Winter Paralympics: South Korea Achieves Historic Success

KBS has unveiled the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, the only domestic broadcaster to cover the event. The journey of the South Korean team, which achieved its best-ever performance, concluded successfully with the ceremony.

On the 17th, KBS 1TV aired the closing ceremony of the South Korean team returning from the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics, with live commentary by Nam Hyun-jong and analyst Hong Seok-man. The South Korean team recorded its best performance in history at this event, making new history in various sports and once again proving the strength of disabled sports.

At the ceremony, the MVP of the South Korean team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Paralympics was awarded to 19-year-old triathlete Kim Yoon-ji. Kim expressed her gratitude, saying, "I am thankful to everyone who supported us for the Paralympics. Thanks to their support, we were able to achieve great results and performance."

Kim Yoon-ji, who showcased a golden performance in cross-country and biathlon, participated in six events and achieved the remarkable feat of winning five medals in a single Olympic or Paralympic event for the first time in Korean sports history. Kim recalled, "I was grateful to stand on the podium five times. The moment when the Korean flag was raised highest and the national anthem played will never be forgotten in my athletic career." She added, "Four years of training, the efforts of my teammates, and the support of my family were great driving forces."

The South Korean team concluded the event with a historic best performance of 2 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze, ranking 13th overall. Viewers who supported the athletes' shining journey through KBS's broadcast expressed their admiration, saying, "We give endless applause to the athletes who showed great spirit in Milan," and "This Paralympics captured the pure emotion of sports and made us rethink the definition of sports." They also praised KBS for its exclusive coverage, saying, "Thank you to the KBS production team for capturing all the glorious moments for public interest rather than profit," and "KBS was the best."

Meanwhile, JTBC, which exclusively broadcasted the '2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics,' faced criticism during the broadcast. They failed to live broadcast Choi Ga-on's first gold medal in the women's snowboard halfpipe final, Korea's first gold in snow sports, and during the women's curling match against Japan, a graphic of the Japanese flag was mistakenly aired for about 10 seconds, drawing viewers' ire.

Reporter Se-yoon Jung, Ten Asia yoon@tenasia.co.kr