By Kim Rahn
President Moon Jae-in has praised long track speed skater Lee Sang-hwa for her hard work as she won a silver medal at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Moon congratulated her in a telegram Monday, saying her silver was the most beautiful medal in PyeongChang.
"Thank you. You have given us a lot of joy. You have taught us what a beautiful challenge is," he said.
Moon said the Korean people love Lee not because she won medals in the previous Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi but because she has continuously tried her best and always made efforts to do better. "To us, you are the queen of the ice forever. Thank you for your efforts."
He also expressed gratitude to Lee's family who have supported her.
Right after Lee's race Sunday night, he also congratulated her on Twitter.
"I'm very proud of you. The efforts you've made shine brighter than the medal," he wrote.
Lee clocked 37.33 seconds in the women's 500-meter race, 0.39 seconds behind Japan's Nao Kodaira who set an Olympic record. In the previous Olympics in 2010 and 2014, she won two straight Olympic gold medals.
After the race, she cried a lot. She later said that she was not sad about not winning a gold medal but she felt relieved as her decades-long efforts are finished.
Besides Lee, Moon sent congratulatory telegrams to all South Korean athletes who won medals.
President Moon Jae-in has praised long track speed skater Lee Sang-hwa for her hard work as she won a silver medal at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Moon congratulated her in a telegram Monday, saying her silver was the most beautiful medal in PyeongChang.
"Thank you. You have given us a lot of joy. You have taught us what a beautiful challenge is," he said.
Moon said the Korean people love Lee not because she won medals in the previous Olympics in Vancouver and Sochi but because she has continuously tried her best and always made efforts to do better. "To us, you are the queen of the ice forever. Thank you for your efforts."
He also expressed gratitude to Lee's family who have supported her.
Right after Lee's race Sunday night, he also congratulated her on Twitter.
"I'm very proud of you. The efforts you've made shine brighter than the medal," he wrote.
Lee clocked 37.33 seconds in the women's 500-meter race, 0.39 seconds behind Japan's Nao Kodaira who set an Olympic record. In the previous Olympics in 2010 and 2014, she won two straight Olympic gold medals.
After the race, she cried a lot. She later said that she was not sad about not winning a gold medal but she felt relieved as her decades-long efforts are finished.
Besides Lee, Moon sent congratulatory telegrams to all South Korean athletes who won medals.
![[INTERVIEW] 'One Day Off' star Lee Na-young, director on creating subtle, feel-good series](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/796618f56a44402eabe81fe4530ab988.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Lee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/77a9da6df7da4284adbee249a87307c1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
