While still at Busan Sports High School, the year he turned 18, he made his first international appearance in the 800 m and 1,500 m freestyle heats at the World Championships in Gwangju. That November, he won bronze in the 1,500 m freestyle at the Swimming World Cup in Kazan, Russia.
In 2020, he placed first in the 1,500 m freestyle at the national team trials. In 2021, he swam the 4x200 m freestyle relay heats at the Tokyo Olympics, and that October he won gold in the 1,500 m freestyle at the Swimming World Cup in Doha. In 2022, he finished sixth in the 400 m freestyle final at the World Championships in Budapest, the first Korean in that final in five years, since Park Tae-hwan. He also won four golds at the National Sports Festival that year.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 22, he set a Korean record in the 800 m freestyle at the World Championships in Fukuoka in July. In September, he won three golds at the Hangzhou Asian Games, in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle and the 4x200 m relay, the third Korean swimmer to do so after Choi Yoon-hee and Park Tae-hwan. After the Games, he was also named the men’s MVP of the Korean team.
The year he turned 23, he won the 400 m freestyle at the World Championships in Doha in February, the first Korean world champion in 13 years, since Park Tae-hwan in 2011. At the Paris Olympics in July, he won bronze in the same event, Korean swimming’s first Olympic medal in 12 years, and the team finished sixth in the 4x200 m relay, the best result in Korean competitive swimming. From November, he went through basic military training under the arts and sports service status. In 2025, he won bronze in the 400 m freestyle at the World Championships in Singapore, reaching the podium at the World Championships for a second straight time, and he won the 400 m freestyle at the National Sports Festival for a fourth straight year.
In spring 2026, he won three golds at the national team trials. Before the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, he was diagnosed with a shoulder injury, and he took bronze in the 4x200 m relay and finished eighth in the 1,500 m freestyle.
Kim Woo-min (born Aug 24, 2001) made his international debut at the World Championships in Gwangju on Jul 23, 2019, the year he turned 18, and became known in 2023, the year he turned 22, with three freestyle golds at the Hangzhou Asian Games. In 2024, the year he turned 23, he won bronze in the 400 m freestyle at the Paris Olympics.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Made his first international appearance and was eliminated in the men’s 800 m freestyle heats, 31st of 38 swimmers (8:14.44).
Source 01 · Newsis (Korean) · Kim Woo-min at his first international meet · opens in a new tabSwam a personal best of 15:26.17 in the 1,500 m freestyle heats at the same championships, 28th overall.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Kim Woo-min’s 1,500 m result in an interview with Lee Ju-ho · opens in a new tabWon bronze in the 1,500 m freestyle at the sixth leg of the FINA Swimming World Cup in Kazan, Russia, in 15:30.93.
Source 03 · Newsis (Korean) · Bronze in the 1,500 m at the Kazan Swimming World Cup · opens in a new tabPlaced first in the men’s 1,500 m freestyle at the 2020 national swimming team trials at the Gimcheon Indoor Swimming Pool, in 15:30.95.
Source 18 · Newsis (Korean) · 2020 national swimming team trials · opens in a new tab The day is not confirmed. The result appears in an article on the final day of the meet, Nov. 20.Swam the men’s 4x200 m freestyle relay heats with Hwang Sun-woo, Lee Yu-yeon and Lee Ho-joon, finishing seventh in heat 2 in 7:15.03 and missing the final.
Source 04 · News1 (Korean) · Eliminated in the Tokyo Olympics 4x200 m freestyle relay heats · opens in a new tabWon gold in the 1,500 m freestyle at the third leg of the Swimming World Cup in Doha, Qatar, finishing first of three swimmers in 14:44.58. It was the first gold for the Korean team at this event.
Source 05 · Herald Business (Korean) · Gold in the 1,500 m at the Doha Swimming World Cup · opens in a new tabFinished sixth in the men’s 400 m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in 3:45.64. He was the first Korean in this final in five years, since Park Tae-hwan reached it at the same event in 2017.
Source 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Sixth in the 400 m freestyle at the Budapest World Championships · opens in a new tabWon four golds at the 103rd National Sports Festival, in the 400 m and 1,500 m freestyle and the 4x100 m and 4x200 m freestyle relays.
Source 07 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Kim Woo-min wins four golds at the 2022 National Sports Festival · opens in a new tab The exact date is not confirmed.Swam 7:47.69 in the 800 m freestyle heats, beating after 11 years the Korean record (7:49.93) that Park Tae-hwan set as the 800 m split of his 1,500 m race at the 2012 London Olympics, but finished 14th and missed the final. In his main event, the 400 m freestyle, he was fifth in 3:43.92, one place higher than the year before.
Source 08 · Newsis (Korean) · Korean record in the 800 m freestyle and fifth in the 400 m at the Fukuoka World Championships · opens in a new tabWon the men’s 4x200 m freestyle relay final with Hwang Sun-woo, Yang Jae-hoon and Lee Ho-joon in an Asian record (7:01.73). It was Korean swimming’s first Asian Games team gold.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Hangzhou Asian Games MVP Kim Woo-min · opens in a new tabWon silver in the men’s 1,500 m freestyle final.
Source 24 · Newsis (Korean) · First in the 400 m freestyle heats at Hangzhou · opens in a new tabAfter winning the 800 m freestyle on the 28th in a Games record (7:46.03) for his second gold, he also won the 400 m freestyle on the 29th (3:44.36), becoming the third Korean swimmer, after Choi Yoon-hee and Park Tae-hwan, to win three golds at a single Asian Games. He took silver in the 1,500 m freestyle.
Won four golds at the National Sports Festival, in the 1,500 m and 400 m freestyle and the 4x200 m and 4x100 m relays.
Source 19 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Hwang Sun-woo wins five golds at the 2023 National Sports Festival · opens in a new tab The exact date is not confirmed. The meet was held after the Asian Games MVP announcement (Oct. 8).At its press conference summing up the Games, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced him as the men’s most valuable player of the Korean team, together with the archer Lim Si-hyeon for the women.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Hangzhou Asian Games MVP Kim Woo-min · opens in a new tabWon the men’s 400 m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, in a personal best of 3:42.71, becoming the first Korean world champion in 13 years, since Park Tae-hwan in 2011.
Source 10 · JTBC (Korean) · Gold in the 400 m freestyle at the Doha World Championships · opens in a new tabWon silver in the men’s 4x200 m freestyle relay final with Hwang Sun-woo, Lee Ho-joon and Yang Jae-hoon. It was Korean swimming’s first World Championships team medal.
Source 20 · The Fact (Korean) · Silver in the 4x200 m relay at the Doha World Championships · opens in a new tabSource 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo in basic military training · opens in a new tabPlaced first in the men’s 400 m freestyle final at the third Mare Nostrum meet in Monaco, in a personal best of 3:42.42.
Source 21 · Newsis (Korean) · 400 m freestyle at the third Mare Nostrum meet · opens in a new tabWon bronze in the men’s 400 m freestyle final at the Paris Olympics in France, in 3:42.50. It was Korean swimming’s first Olympic medal in 12 years, since Park Tae-hwan at the 2012 London Olympics.
Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Bronze in the 400 m freestyle at the Paris Olympics · opens in a new tabFinished sixth in the men’s 4x200 m freestyle relay final at the same Games with Yang Jae-hoon, Lee Ho-joon and Hwang Sun-woo, in 7:07.26. It was Korean swimming’s first Olympic team final, and sixth place was the best result in Korean competitive swimming.
Source 12 · MK Sports (Korean) · Sixth in the 4x200 m freestyle relay at the Paris Olympics · opens in a new tabWon the 1,500 m freestyle at the 105th National Sports Festival, keeping the event for a third straight year. He did not beat the personal best he set at the 2022 meet in Ulsan.
Source 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Third straight 1,500 m freestyle title at the 2024 National Sports Festival · opens in a new tabUnder the arts and sports service status earned with his Hangzhou Asian Games gold, he went through three weeks of basic military training at the Army Training Center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong, together with Hwang Sun-woo. He must then complete 544 hours of community service over 34 months.
Source 14 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo in basic military training · opens in a new tab The exact start date is not confirmed. As of the article of Dec. 6, he had been in training since the end of the previous month.Won bronze in the men’s 400 m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, in 3:42.60. He finished 0.25 seconds behind Germany’s Lukas Märtens in first and reached the World Championships podium for a second straight time.
Source 15 · Newsis (Korean) · Bronze in the 400 m freestyle at the Singapore World Championships · opens in a new tabWon the men’s open 400 m freestyle at the 106th National Sports Festival in 3:46.38, on top for a fourth straight year, and took three golds at the meet.
Source 22 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Fourth straight 400 m freestyle title at the 2025 National Sports Festival · opens in a new tabPlaced first in the men’s 400 m freestyle final at the trials at the Gimcheon Indoor Swimming Pool in North Gyeongsang in 3:46.40, for his third gold of the meet.
Source 23 · News1 (Korean) · Three golds at the 2026 national swimming team trials · opens in a new tabBefore the Games, he was diagnosed with a rotator cuff and cartilage tear and impingement syndrome in his left shoulder. After bronze in the 4x200 m relay on the 21st and eighth in the 1,500 m freestyle on the 22nd, he gave up most of his remaining individual events, and in the 4x100 m relay, where he swam the heats, the team won silver in the final.
Source 16 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Kim Woo-min’s shoulder injury · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Kim Woo-min injured, Kim Jun-woo swims the 800 m freestyle · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2019–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Aug 24, 2001 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 2001: the year of the event minus 2001, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.