On the women's side, Team Kim Eun-jung, representing Gangneung City Hall, defended their national title from the 2020–21 season by winning both the first and second rounds.[3] In Round 1, Teams Kim Eun-jung and Kim Min-ji, representing Chuncheon City Hall, both posted 4–0 records through the round robin and Teams Gim Un-chi (Gyeonggi Province) and Kim Ji-su (Songhyun High School A) went 3–1. Eun-jung then defeated Ji-su 5–3 in one semifinal and Gim Un-chi topped Kim Min-ji 8–6 in the other. Gangneung City Hall then defeated Gyeonggi Province 11–6 in the final.[4] In Round 2, Kim Eun-jung and her team topped the double round robin with a 5–1 record which secured their place as the national champions.[5] Team Kim Min-ji, who finished 4–2 and Team Gim Un-chi, who finished 3–3, played a second place game to determine the national team backup, which Min-ji won 6–4.[6]
Team Kim Eun-jung, consisting of Eun-jung, third Kim Kyeong-ae, second Kim Cho-hi, lead Kim Seon-yeong, alternate Kim Yeong-mi and coaches Peter Gallant and Lim Myung-sup won the national championship during the 2020–21 season and represented South Korea at the 2021 World Women's Curling Championship.[7] There, the team finished with a 7–6 record, tied for fifth place. However, due to their loses against Teams Canada and the United States, they placed seventh after the round robin, missing the playoffs and direct qualification for South Korea for the 2022 Winter Olympics.[8] This meant the team had to play in the Olympic Qualification Event in December 2021 to qualify for the Olympics, which they won the silver medal at in 2018.[9] At the qualification tournament, Team Kim finished third and secured the final women's berth to the Beijing Olympics.[10]
Men
The men's championship also finished in two rounds with Team Kim Soo-hyuk, representing the Gyeongbuk Athletic Association, winning both the first and second rounds.[11] In Round 1, Team Kim Soo-hyuk and defending champions Team Jeong Yeong-seok, representing the Gyeonggido Curling Federation, both went undefeated through the round robin and Teams Lee Ki-jeong (Gangwon-do Office) and Lee Jeong-jae (Seoul City Hall) both had one loss. The Gyeongbuk Athletic Association then topped Seoul City Hall 8–3 in one semifinal and the Gyeonggido Curling Federation beat Gangwon-do Office in the other. Kim Soo-hyuk then won the round by scoring three in an extra end to defeat Jeong Yeong-seok 10–7.[12] In Round 2, Teams Kim Soo-hyuk and Lee Ki-jeong finished tied with 4–2 records after the round robin with Lee Jeong-jae at 3–3 and Jeong Yeong-seok at 1–5. Soo-hyuk and Ki-jeong then played a final to determine the winner of Round 2, which Soo-hyuk won 6–5 in an extra end.[13]
After Team Jeong Yeong-seok won the 2020 Korean Curling Championships, they earned the right to represent South Korea at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship.[14] There, they finished with a 2–11 record.[15] Like the women's team, Team Kim Soo-hyuk, consisting of Soo-hyuk, third Kim Chang-min, second Jeon Jae-ik, lead Kim Hak-kyun and coach Yoon So-min had to finish in the top three at the Olympic Qualification Event to qualify for the 2022 Olympics. Unfortunately, the team finished with a 2–6 record at the qualification tournament, failing to advance to the Games.[16]
The Korean Curling Championships are held every year to determine the teams that will compete at the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships in hopes of reaching the World Curling Championships. Every four years, the winner of the championship also goes onto represent South Korea at the Olympic Games. In order to determine the Olympic Teams, the championship is held in three rounds to ensure the best team wins. The first round is open to all teams and the second round is open to the top four placing teams from the first round. If one team wins both the first and second rounds, then no third round is needed. The third and final round is a best-of-seven series between the winners of rounds one and two to determine the national champion and Olympic representative.[1]
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