# Kim Yu-jae

Kim Yu-jae (Korean: 김유재; born 12 June 2009) is a South Korean figure skater. She is the 2025 South Korean national bronze medalist, a three-time bronze medalist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix and the 2022 South Korean national junior silver medalist. She placed fourth at the 2023 World Junior Championships.

## Personal life

Kim was born on 12 June 2009 in Seoul. Her identical twin sister, Yu-seong, who is two minutes younger than her, is also a competitive figure skater.

## Career
### Early years

Kim's mother, Ga-young, first enrolled her and her sister Yu-seong into figure skating when they were eight years old as a means of improving their health and growth. 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.
Kim won the silver medal at the 2022 South Korean Junior Championships at the age of twelve.

### 2022–23 season

Based on her junior national podium the previous year, Kim was sent to make her international junior debut on the Junior Grand Prix. Given one assignment, she won the bronze medal at the 2022 JGP France in Courchevel. Kim attempted a triple Axel in the free skate, a rarity among female skaters, landing it a quarter underrotated.
After finishing sixth at the 2023 South Korean Championships at the senior level, Kim was given one of three South Korean berths at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary. She finished fourth in the short program with a new personal best, despite receiving a quarter underrotation call on her triple loop attempt. In the free skate, Kim successfully landed the triple Axel, and received only one quarter call on her other six triple jumps. She was fourth in that segment as well, finishing fourth overall. She indicated that she next goal would be to put two triple Axels in her free skate.

### 2023–24 season

In late July, Kim competed at the 2023 South Korean ISU Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers, where she finished sixth. Her performances earned her one assignment on the Junior Grand Prix circuit. She won the bronze medal at the 2023 JGP Turkey.
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.
Kim went on to compete at the senior national ranking competition, where she finished sixth overall. At the 2024 South Korean Championships, Kim placed fifth. With this result, both Kim and her sister, who finished fourth at the event, were selected to represent South Korea at the 2024 World Junior Championships. She came sixteenth at the event, while Yu-seong was fifteenth.

### 2024–25 season

Kim began the season by placing third at the domestic Junior Grand Prix Qualifiers in late July and was given two Junior Grand Prix assignments as a result of her placement.
In August 2024, it was announced that Kim and her sister had left coaches, Chi Hyun-jung and Kim Jin-seo to return to their longtime coach, Choi Hyung-kyung.
To open her international season, Kim won the bronze medal at 2024 JGP Czech Republic before going on to finish seventh at 2024 JGP Poland. In late November, she would compete at the South Korean Ranking Competition, finishing in sixth place. One month later, Kim won the bronze medal at the 2025 South Korean Championships.
Selected to compete at the 2025 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Kim finished in sixteenth place.

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating |
| 2024–2025 | Love Story by Francis Lai performed by Lola Astanova & Stjepan Hauser choreo. by Shin Yea-ji | Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Misha Ge |
| 2023–2024 | Spanish Romance by Liona Boyd Fiesta Flamenca by 101 Strings Orchestra choreo. by Shin Yea-ji | Avatar: The Way of Water Songcord Chapter Songcord Opening performed by Zoe Saldaña The Way of Water The Spirit Tree Na'vi Attack by Simon Franglen choreo. by Shin Yea-ji |
| 2022–2023 | Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi performed by Max Richter, Chineke! Orchestra, Elena Urioste choreo. by Shin Yea-ji | Aida Every Story is a Love Story Dance of the Robe by Elton John performed by Sherie Rene Scott, Heather Headley, & Schele Williams choreo. by Shin Yea-ji |

## Competitive highlights

JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International: Junior :
| Event | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 | 24–25 |
| Junior Worlds | | 4th | 16th | 16th |
| JGP Czech Republic | | | | 3rd |
| JGP France | | 3rd | | |
| JGP Poland | | | | 7th |
| JGP Turkey | | | 3rd | |
| National |||||
| South Korean Champ. | 2nd J | 6th | 5th | 3rd |

## Detailed results

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System :
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
| Total | TSS | 193.62 | 2023 World Junior Championships |
| Short program | TSS | 65.33 | 2023 JGP Turkey |
| Short program | TES | 36.73 | 2023 JGP Turkey |
| Short program | PCS | 28.60 | 2023 JGP Turkey |
| Free skating | TSS | 129.65 | 2023 World Junior Championships |
| Free skating | TES | 69.57 | 2023 World Junior Championships |
| Free skating | PCS | 60.08 | 2023 World Junior Championships |

### Junior level

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
2024–25 season :
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| February 25–March 2, 2025 | 2025 World Junior Championships | Junior | 21 54.30 | 14 114.33 | 16 168.63 |
| January 2–5, 2025 | 2025 South Korean Championships | Senior | 3 67.76 | 5 126.16 | 3 193.92 |
| September 25–28, 2024 | 2024 JGP Poland | Junior | 5 63.85 | 10 96.34 | 7 160.19 |
| September 4–9, 2024 | 2024 JGP Czech Republic | Junior | 4 61.20 | 3 117.59 | 3 178.79 |
| 2023–24 season ||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| February 26–March 3, 2024 | 2024 World Junior Championships | Junior | 18 54.98 | 13 112.86 | 16 167.84 |
| January 4–7, 2024 | 2024 South Korean Championships | Senior | 4 66.04 | 5 132.43 | 5 198.47 |
| September 6–8, 2023 | 2023 JGP Turkey | Junior | 3 65.33 | 4 118.32 | 3 183.65 |
| 2022–23 season ||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| January 5–8, 2023 | 2023 World Junior Championships | Junior | 4 63.97 | 4 129.65 | 4 193.62 |
| January 5–8, 2023 | 2023 South Korean Championships | Senior | 10 63.33 | 5 130.64 | 6 193.97 |
| August 24–27, 2022 | 2022 JGP France | Junior | 3 60.87 | 2 124.80 | 3 185.67 |
| 2021–22 season ||||||
| Date | Event | Level | SP | FS | Total |
| January 7–9, 2022 | 2022 South Korean Junior Championships | Junior | 2 55.11 | 2 93.89 | 2 149.00 |