Uiseong emerges as Korea's hub of curling
More curling facilities will be built in their hometown. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Jung Min-ho
Just a month ago, Uiseong, a sleepy town with a population of 53,000, was little known even among Koreans. But what Uiseong natives accomplished at the PyeongChang Olympics has made it a global household name.
The team of Kim Eun-jung, Kim Kyeong-ae, Kim Seon-yeong and Kim Yeong-mi, or the “Garlic Girls,” ― the nickname they acquired from the town’s most famous product ― earned a silver medal in the women’s curling at the Winter Games, Sunday.
It would not have been possible without the Uiseong Curling Center, where they trained for the Olympics. Next to the building, the Uiseong County Office will invest 6 billion won ($5.6 million) this year into building additional facilities for athletes and anyone who loves the sport.
The project, a county official said, aims to improve the training environment for athletes and to attract invite more people to the charm of curling.
The county office hopes the Olympic fever will help Uiseong turn into a more colorful town that can produce more than quality garlic.