Kim was born on 12 June 2009, in Seoul. Her identical twin sister, Yu-jae, who is two minutes older than her, is also a competitive figure skater.[1][2]
Career
Early years
Kim's mother, Ga-young, first enrolled her and her sister into figure skating when they were eight years old as a means of improving their health and growth.[2] Due to the lack of skating rinks where they lived, the family moved to Gwacheon in 2019, where both sisters began training under Choi Hyung-kyung.[2]
In late July, Kim competed at the 2023 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers, finishing fourth. Her performances earned her two assignments on the Junior Grand Prix circuit.[4] Debuting on the Junior Grand Prix, Kim won the silver medal at the 2023 JGP Thailand, 0.73 points behind gold medalist Ami Nakai. At the event, Kim successfully landed a clean triple Axel jump in her free skate.[5][4] In late September, it was announced that Kim and her sister made a coaching change from Choi Hyung-kyung to Chi Hyun-jung and Kim Jin-seo.[6][7][8][9] She would go on to win a second silver medal at the 2023 JGP Hungary, despite missing her triple Axel attempt.[10]
Following the Junior Grand Prix, Kim won the silver medal at the national qualifier for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, to be held on home ice in Gangwon. She and reigning national champion Shin Ji-a were assigned to South Korea's two berths.[11] Kim also went on to compete at the senior national ranking competition, where she finished fourth overall.[12]
Kim's Junior Grand Prix results qualified her to the 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix Final, where she came fifth in the short program after receiving an incorrect edge call on her triple Lutz. In the free skate, she landed the triple Axel and her other triple jumps, but for another Lutz edge call. Fourth in that segment, she rose to fourth overall, 5.98 points back of bronze medalist Rena Uezono. Kim said she was "super happy" with the result.[13] At the 2024 South Korean Championships, Kim finished fourth. With this result, both Kim and her sister, who finished fifth at the event, were selected to represent South Korea at the 2024 World Junior Championships.[3][14]
Going on to compete in the women's event at the Winter Youth Olympics, Kim finished in fourth-place.[3] She and her sister Yu-jae were among the South Korean team for the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, finishing fifteenth and sixteenth, respectively.[15]
2024–25 season
Kim began the season by finishing second at the 2024 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers in late July and was given two Junior Grand Prix assignments as a result of her placement.[16]
Competing on the 2024–25 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, Kim captured the gold medal at 2024 JGP Turkey, scoring personal bests in all competition segments. She said she was "very happy" to have won her first gold medal.[18][16] She followed up this result with a silver medal win at 2024 JGP China. With these results, Kim qualified for the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix Final, the only South Korean junior woman to do so.[19]
^ abKim, Jeong-hoon (23 September 2022). ""트리플 악셀 점프 겁먹은 적 없어" "6분 차이 언니와 올림픽 출전 꿈"" ["I've never been afraid of jumping a triple Axel" "My dream is to compete at the Olympics with my sister"]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 26 September 2023.
^ abPark, Ji-min (15 October 2023). "2024 강원 동계청소년올림픽대회 선발전 – 여자 주니어 우승 신지아, 준우승 김유성" [2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games Selection Match – Women's Junior Winner Shin Ji-a, Runner-up Kim Yu-seong]. mfocus.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
