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Team Korea's skip Kim EunJung (center) shouts directions to teammates Kim SeonYeong (left) and Kim Chohi during a round robin match against the U.S. at the Gangneung Curling Center on Feb. 20. Korea defeated the U.S. 9-6. (Yonhap News)


The Korean women's curling team, a contender at the PyeongChang Winter Games, has qualified for the semifinals for the first time in Olympic history.

Team Korea entered the competition as an underdog, but has since risen to fame as the dark horse and a crowd favorite. So far, it has defeated some of the curling world's greatest powers, including Canada, Switzerland, the U.K., China and Sweden. On Feb. 20, Korea defeated the U.S. 9-6 and on the morning of Feb. 21, Korea defeated the Olympic Athletes of Russia (OAR) 11-2. 

With seven victories so far in the round robin, Team Korea has won a ticket to the semifinals regardless of the results of the remaining match. Following its match against the U.S., Korea rose to the number one spot on the women's round robin leaderboard, with six wins and one loss.

The Korean women curlers, now one step closer to the Olympic podium, are in fact the breakout stars of the PyeongChang Olympics.

The women began their Olympic journey with little public support, either at home or abroad. Having racked up a near-perfect run of victories over their competitors, the Korean women curlers have now become a sensation. The team's sweeping upturn has even attracted the attention of foreign media that have marveled at their Olympic success. 

Team Korea, lead by coach Kim MinJung, is made up of skip Kim EunJung (28-years-old), lead Kim YeongMi (27), second Kim SeonYeong (25), third Kim KyeongAe (24) and reserve Kim Chohi (22).

As the teammates and even the coach share the family name Kim, though most of them are unrelated, they are known as "Team Kim." Due to this coincidence, they are often confused as being all related at international competitions, but in fact only Kim YeongMi and Kim KyeongAe are actual sisters.

Four out of the five teammates do share a hometown. Kim YeongMi, Kim EunJung, Kim KyeongAe and Kim SeonYeong are all from the rural county of Uiseong in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. All four went to the same high school, and were introduced to curling through their friendship with each other.

As the four main athletes hail from Uiseong, a region famous for its garlic, they have also been dubbed as the "Uiseong Garlic Girls."

The women are just like sisters on the ice, and they've been performing at their very best thanks to superb teamwork. They understand one another's smallest gestures, and communicate using their eyes and the pitch of their voices.

Skip Kim EunJung is especially vocal when she throws the stone, calling out her teammates by name to give directions on sweeping. The eagerness and regularity with which she shouts out "YeongMi" during the matches has caught on as an internet meme among local sports fans. How loudly and how often skip Kim EunJung shouts "YeongMi," the name of the lead, determines how fast the teammates must sweep the ice. 

Team Korea now has one remaining round robin match against Denmark on the evening of Feb. 21. Though Korea has secured a spot in the semifinals, its last match will determine Korea's competitor in the next round.

Fans are hopeful that Korea will hold on to the number one spot.

Meanwhile, all tickets for the PyeongChang Olympics women's curling matches are now sold out.

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Korea rises to the number-one spot on the women's round robin leaderboard, following a victory against the U.S. on Feb. 20. (PyeongChang Organizing Committee)

Korea.net