At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Kim placed 18th in the women's 3000 metres. After failing to make the semi-finals in the women's team pursuit, Kim gave a television interview where she attributed Noh Seon-yeong for the loss, saying "We were skating well, but the last skater [Noh] couldn't keep up and we had a disappointing score." Her teammate Park Ji-woo added "It wasn't that we didn't think this would happen with Seon-young... " Both skaters faced an immediate backlash, with viewers supporting online petitions demanding their removal from the team; especially after footage was shown of Noh crying while her teammates ignored her, leading to her being comforted by coach Bob de Jong. Reports also stated that Noh had not been invited to participate in of the team's pre-Olympics training sessions, and that Kim and Park had left Noh behind during the race (instead of pushing her ahead as one is supposed to do in the sport). Sportswear clothing brand NEPA, which had previously sponsored Kim, announced they would not be extending their contract with her following backlash on their website and social media. Kim later made a public apology for the incident.