By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea’s ice dancers Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin performed to the traditional song “Arirang” in the PyeongChang Winter Games free dance program.
At the Gangneung Ice Arena, the team scored 86.52 in the free dance. Combining their 147.74 in short and free dance programs, they placed 18th out of 20 pairs, but put more emphasis on skating to the traditional number in front of a home audience.
Dressed in modernized versions of Korea’s traditional hanbok attire, they displayed a lyrical and mournful routine, expressing the song’s sad mood.
After the performance, Min told reporters that she really wanted to use this song because the Games are being held in Korea and she wanted to promote Korea’s ice dancing through the song.
She stressed that she is proud of her Korean heritage and her mother told her that she has to know about it because she is a Korean born in the U.S. She pledged that she will continue to perform ice dances that have a Korean blend to them until the Beijing Games four years from now.
Min was born in California to Korean parents and her partner Gamelin was naturalized as Korean last year.
Their Arirang program has been at the center of public attention, as the song caused controversy with its lyrics containing Korea’s easternmost island Dokdo, which Japan continues to claim.
As the International Olympic Committee bans political statements by Olympians, they removed the words about Dokdo.