In 2018, he was presented as a snowboarding prodigy on SBS’s Sungan Pochak Sesange Ireon Il. In July 2019, the year he turned 13, he won both halfpipe and big air at the World Snowboard Federation’s World Rookie Tour in France.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 14, he won the newly created FIS Snowboard Halfpipe Asian Cup, beating senior national team members.
In 2021, he won bronze in the halfpipe at the FIS Junior World Championships in Russia. In February 2022, he was the youngest member of the Korean team at the Beijing Winter Olympics and finished 18th in qualifying. The next month, at the Junior World Championships, he won gold in the halfpipe and bronze in big air, and he also won the Europa Cup. That December, he joined the Lotte ski and snowboard team.
The year he turned 17, on March 3, he won the halfpipe at the FIS World Championships in Georgia, taking Korean skiing and snowboarding’s first World Championships medal as a gold. It was the youngest men’s win at the World Championships. That December, he won a bronze and then a silver at World Cups in succession.
In February 2024, he won both slopestyle and halfpipe at the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics for a double.
In February 2025, he won slopestyle gold at the Harbin Asian Winter Games. In his main event, the halfpipe, he was sixth in qualifying, but the final was canceled because of bad weather and he missed the podium. He then had surgery to remove the meniscus in his left knee and went through a slump for a while, and in May he signed with the management company Brion Company.
In February 2026, at his second Olympics, in Milan Cortina, he qualified ninth, then landed a triple cork 1620, a trick with four and a half turns, on his third run in the final and finished sixth.
Chaeun Lee (born Apr 11, 2006) debuted in 2019, the year he turned 13, by winning both halfpipe and big air at the World Rookie Tour in France, and became known on Feb 10, 2020, the year he turned 14, when he beat senior national team members to win the FIS Asian Cup. In 2023, the year he turned 17, he won Korean skiing and snowboarding’s first World Championships gold.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Received Lotte Scholarship Foundation scholarships three times, from 2017 to 2018.
Source 03 · JoongAng Ilbo (Korean) · Surprise win at the FIS Asian Cup · opens in a new tab The month and day are not confirmed in news reports.Was presented as a 12-year-old snowboarding prodigy who had trained without a dedicated coach, and showed a 1080-degree trick with three turns in the air. He was said to have started by following his father onto the snow.
Source 01 · News Freezone (Korean) · SBS Sungan Pochak Sesange Ireon Il · opens in a new tabWon both big air and halfpipe in the men’s under-14 division of the World Rookie Tour of the World Snowboard Federation (WSF) in Les Deux Alpes, France. Winning the tour finals of this event earns a place in the FIS Snowboard World Cup.
Source 02 · SBS via Naver (Korean) · World Rookie Tour halfpipe win · opens in a new tabSource 13 · MK Sports (Korean) · Junior and senior world champion, a new chapter in snowboarding · opens in a new tab His first international podium confirmed in articles is counted as his debut. The day is not confirmed, so only the month is given. His FIS World Cup debut came in November 2021 (MK Sports).In the third run of the final at Phoenix Pyeongchang in Gangwon, he scored 90 points to beat the senior national team members Lee Jun-sik (86) and Lee Kwang-ki (83.25). He was the first champion of the newly created event.
Finished third in the final in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, with 86.75 points.
Source 04 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Bronze in the halfpipe at the Junior World Championships · opens in a new tabWas among eight next-generation prospects chosen by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and received a scholarship.
Source 05 · MHN Sports (Korean) · Korean Sport & Olympic Committee scholarships for rising athletes · opens in a new tabFinished eighth of 38 at the event in Mammoth Mountain, California.
Source 06 · Hansbiz (Korean) · 8th at the World Cup in Mammoth Mountain · opens in a new tab The day is not confirmed, so only the month is given.Scored 35 points on his second run in qualifying in Zhangjiakou, China, finishing 18th of 25 and missing the 12-rider final. He was the youngest member of the Korean team at the Games.
Source 07 · News1 (Korean) · 18th in Beijing Olympic qualifying · opens in a new tabSource 21 · Newsis (Korean) · 9th in Milan Olympic qualifying, into the final · opens in a new tabWon the final in Leysin, Switzerland, with 94.5 points.
Source 08 · Newsis (Korean) · Gold in the halfpipe at the Junior World Championships · opens in a new tabLanded a backside triple 1440 and a frontside double 1260 in the big air final at the same event and finished third with a two-run total of 160.8 points. He won both a gold and a bronze at one championship.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Bronze in big air at the Junior World Championships · opens in a new tabWon the final in Laax, Switzerland, with 90.00 points. The Europa Cup is a continental cup a level below the World Cup, with junior and senior riders competing together.
Source 10 · Newsis (Korean) · Wins the halfpipe at the Europa Cup · opens in a new tabJoined the ski and snowboard team newly launched by the Lotte Group, along with Lee Seung-hoon, Jeong Dae-yun and Choi Ga-on.
Source 11 · Newsian (Korean) · Lotte launches ski team, signing Chaeun Lee and others · opens in a new tabScored 80.25 on his first run in the final. It was his second World Cup eighth place, after the U.S. event that January.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 8th at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix World Cup · opens in a new tabFinished fourth at two World Cups, his best World Cup results until then.
Source 13 · MK Sports (Korean) · Junior and senior world champion, a new chapter in snowboarding · opens in a new tab The day is not confirmed, so only the month is given.Won the final in Bakuriani, Georgia, with 93.50 points. It was the first World Championships medal and gold in Korean skiing and snowboarding history, and the youngest men’s win at the World Championships.
Source 14 · Newsis (Korean) · World Championships halfpipe win, a first for Korea · opens in a new tabSource 15 · YTN (Korean) · World champion returns home · opens in a new tabFinished third in the final in Zhangjiakou, China, with 87.50 points.
Source 16 · Newsis (Korean) · Bronze in the World Cup halfpipe · opens in a new tabFinished second with 80.00 points at Copper Mountain, Colorado. It was a medal in a second straight event.
Source 17 · News1 (Korean) · Choi Ga-on wins the World Cup, Chaeun Lee takes silver · opens in a new tabWon men’s slopestyle at Gangwon 2024, held in Korea.
Source 18 · SBS (Korean) · Winter Youth Olympics halfpipe gold, a double · opens in a new tabWon the halfpipe final at Welli Hilli Park in Hoengseong with 88.50 points. It was his second gold of the Games, after slopestyle.
Source 18 · SBS (Korean) · Winter Youth Olympics halfpipe gold, a double · opens in a new tabTopped qualifying of 44 riders with 90.00 at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and finished fifth in the final with 86.50.
Source 19 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 5th in the World Cup halfpipe · opens in a new tabWon the final in Yabuli, China, with 90 points. In his main event, the halfpipe, he reached the final as sixth in qualifying, but the final was canceled because of bad weather and he missed the podium. He later had surgery to remove the meniscus in his left knee.
Source 20 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Slopestyle gold at the Harbin Asian Winter Games · opens in a new tabSource 27 · News1 (Korean) · Harbin Asian Games halfpipe final canceled by strong wind, Lee sixth · opens in a new tabSource 21 · Newsis (Korean) · 9th in Milan Olympic qualifying, into the final · opens in a new tab The knee surgery is described in a February 2026 Newsis article (on the Milan Olympic qualifying round); the date of the surgery is not confirmed in news reports.Showed a high-difficulty performance on a slope at Welli Hilli Park in Jeongseon, Gangwon, built with an 18 m giant kicker and other features. He has been partnered with Red Bull since 2023.
Source 22 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Slope performance with Red Bull · opens in a new tabBrion Company announced that it had signed him.
Source 23 · Newsis (Korean) · Management contract with Brion Company · opens in a new tabScored 82.00 in qualifying in Livigno, Italy, finishing ninth of 25 and advancing to the final. It was his second Olympics.
Source 21 · Newsis (Korean) · 9th in Milan Olympic qualifying, into the final · opens in a new tabOn his third run in the final in Livigno, Italy, he landed a triple cork 1620, a trick with four and a half turns, and finished sixth with 87.50 points. Yonhap News Agency reported it as the first time the trick had been landed in competition anywhere, and Maeil Business Newspaper reported the placing as Korea’s best ever.
Source 24 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 6th in the halfpipe, after working until his eyes bled · opens in a new tabSource 25 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Korea’s best ever result · opens in a new tabAfter returning home, he wrote on social media that he still did not know why he finished sixth despite landing the triple cork 1620. He also wrote that he had given everything he had.
Source 26 · Xportsnews (Korean) · Olympic thoughts shared on social media · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2017–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · South Korea
Apr 11, 2006 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 2006: the year of the event minus 2006, 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.