Lee Hae-in

Lee Hae-in (; born 16 April 2005) is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2023 World silver medalist, the 2023 Four Continents champion, the 2022 Four Continents silver medalist, and a six-time South Korean national senior medalist (silver in 2020 and 2024; bronze in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023). At the junior level, she is the 2019 JGP Latvia champion and the 2019 JGP Croatia champion.

In the 2022–23 skating season, Lee became the second South Korean woman to win a World Championship medal, as well as the second to be the Four Continents champion, and led South Korea to its first podium at the World Team Trophy.

She represented South Korea at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Early life and education Lee was born in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea. She has a sister who is four years older than her.

She has a pet cat named Jenny. Lee, then nineteen years old, had invited the young male to Lee and You Young's room in the girl's dormitory she was staying at and left a kiss mark on the male's neck. After that, played together in the room for about 30 minutes, and then the male left the room. The male's kiss mark was discovered by a coach at the training camp the following day, who then filed a report. Although Lee admitted to consuming alcohol, she denied the sexual harassment allegations, stating that she and the young male had previously been in a relationship when she was also a minor in high school and that they had initially ended the relationship due to their parents' opposition. She further stated that she and the male had agreed to rekindle their relationship in secret while at the training camp, making their text message exchanges public to back up these claims. According to Male's side, at this gathering, Lee asked male if he knew what a "kiss mark" was. Male suggested that she apply one, stating that he did not know what it was. At that moment, Lee kissed A's neck, leaving a kiss mark. A claimed that although he had only asked because he did not know what a kiss mark was, he was flustered and surprised to find a mark left on his neck. On the other hand, Lee Hae-in's side emphasized that it was actually male who first pestered her to apply the kiss mark. They further countered by stating that they possess evidence, such as traces of Lee searching for the term because she did not know what a kiss mark was.

Meanwhile, the young male's legal representative shared that he had begun undergoing psychiatric treatment due to shock from the event that took place. The male testified to the Korea Skating Federation's Sports Ethics Committee that he left the room in surprise after the kiss mark. Subsequently, he received a reprimand for entering the women's dormitory but was otherwise cleared to compete on the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix series. Additionally, a training instructor was also given a three-month suspension by the Korean Skating Union for "negligent team management". You Young received a one-year suspension for committing acts of 'sexual harassment,' such as taking a photo of Lee Hae-in that caused sexual discomfort and sending it to a male via social media messenger.

Lee's name was ultimately withdrawn from 2024 Skate America and 2024 NHK Trophy, where she was initially assigned to compete. She was replaced by fellow Korean figure skater, Kim Min-chae, and Austrian figure skater, Olga Mikutina, respectively.

On August 9, Dispatch released an interview with Lee. The interview included the contents of Snapchat conversations between Lee and the Male Player before and after the disciplinary action, as well as the contents of Lee's diary. It also revealed interviews with officials from her agency, All That Sports, Lee's father, Lee's lawyer, and Male's lawyer. On August 30, after deliberation, the Sports Ethics Committee concluded that Lee Hae-in was guilty of sexual harassment, and consequently, the appeal for reconsideration of her suspension was dismissed. Lee's legal representative, Attorney Kim Ga-ram, stated that opinions were sharply divided among the committee members. In fact, while the results of reconsiderations by the Sports Ethics Committee are usually released on the same day, the reconsideration regarding Lee Hae-in's disciplinary action took more than a day. Although the committee acknowledged the two as lovers and pointed out that Male's statements were inconsistent and kept changing slightly, there was also a strong opinion that the incident must be viewed as sexual harassment. Consequently, the committee dismissed the appeal, giving significant consideration to the victim's age and the overall circumstances. As a result, the three-year suspension of her athletic eligibility remained in effect. Lee Hae-in is reported to have submitted a petition to the Sports Ethics Committee stating that she does not wish for Yoo Young to be punished. But Yoo Young's one-year suspension also remained in effect.

Even after the appeal was dismissed, Lee Hae-in maintains the position that the sexual harassment allegations are a false accusation and is considering filing a lawsuit for an injunction to suspend the effect of the decision. In addition, it is reported that Lee submitted a petition to the Court stating that she does not wish for Yoo Young to be punished. Lee clearly stated that she had never been sexually harassed by Yoo Young. In addition, she appealed to the court in part of a lengthy petition, stating, “It is unfair for athlete Yoo Young to lose the opportunity to compete in the Olympics due to a misunderstanding that is contrary to the facts. This will set a wrong precedent for all athletes.” She also introduced her legal representative, lawyer Kim Ga-ram, to Yoo Young. Her suspension and Dispatch interview

As a Dispatch article sparked controversy over the male's false statement and the punishment that ended in a reprimand, male, who was identified as the victim, belatedly revealed that they consistently stated during the investigation that they hoped for leniency for Lee. This marks a shift in sentiment compared to their first statement last June, immediately after the Korea Skating Federation's disciplinary action was handed down, in which they drew a line by mentioning things like "I was very flustered and shocked" and "I have started psychiatric treatment." On November 12, 2024, The Seoul Eastern District Court granted Lee Hae-in’s application for an injunction to suspend the effect of her disciplinary action. The court ruled, "'Indecent assault' refers to an act that causes sexual shame or disgust, violates sound sexual moral standards, and infringes upon the victim's sexual freedom; however, the mere fact that an adult engaged in affectionate acts toward a minor under the age of 16 cannot be considered 'indecent assault.' Whether an act constitutes the crime of indecent assault against a minor must be considered comprehensively, taking into account the victim's intent, gender, age, the prior relationship between the perpetrator and the victim, and the circumstances leading to the act. Even if Male was under the age of 16 at the time, Lee Hae-in’s actions cannot be deemed to constitute the crime of statutory indecent assault against a minor as defined in Article 305, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Act." This judgment, based on the assumption that Lee Hae-in and male player were in a romantic relationship, cited the Criminal Act even though it was a civil trial. Consequently, the disciplinary suspension of Lee Hae-in’s eligibility as a player has been suspended. Following this, it was announced that Lee planned to compete at annual South Korean Ranking Competition, where she would ultimately finish fifth.

In late February, Lee competed at the 2025 Four Continents Championships in Seoul, where she ultimately finished in eighth place.

2025–2026 season: Milano Cortina Olympics

Lee began the season by competing on the 2025–26 Challenger Series, placing seventh at the 2025 CS Kinoshita Group Cup, winning gold at the 2025 CS Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, and winning bronze at the 2025 CS Trialeti Trophy. She then competed on the 2025–26 Grand Prix series, placing ninth at the 2025 Cup of China and eighth at 2025 Skate America.

In January, Lee competed at the 2026 South Korean Championships, placing fifth overall. Later that month, Lee competed at the 2026 Four Continents Championships, where she finished fifth. "Being able to participate in this competition, I think it’s a good experience," said Lee after the free skate. "I’m a little bit nervous, but I’m very proud of the results of this competition. I think the atmosphere is very good. Last year for me when I was not good enough, I didn’t skate well. My fans gave me a lot of energy to move on and go forward so I can skate well. I hope I can do my best at the Olympics."

The following month, Lee placed eighth overall at the 2026 Winter Olympics, after setting season's best scores in both the short program and the free skate. "I was so nervous today, even more than the short program," she said after her free skate. "Right before my performance, my coach told me, ‘We’ll worry for you, so you don’t have to worry yourself. You just have to enjoy your performance."

At the 2026 World Championships in March, Lee placed tenth in the short program but dropped to sixteenth in the free skate, finishing thirteenth overall.

In an interview in June, Lee reflected on the challenges she faced leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympics, stating that "the most important mindset was telling myself, 'Let's do what I can do today and not give up.'"

Records and achievements Third South Korean skater to win a Junior Grand Prix title, following Yuna Kim and Kim Hae-jin Second South Korean skater to win two Junior Grand Prix titles in one season, following Yuna Kim in 2005 Second South Korean skater to medal and win the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, following Yuna Kim in 2009 Second South Korean skater to medal at Worlds, following Yuna Kim in 2007 Seirenes - "Sirens" Haktan Gelen Şerbati - "The Drink from God"

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