# Kim Min-ji (김민지) (hurdler)
**Kim Min-ji** (김민지; born 1996) is a South Korean track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 meters and the 400 meters hurdles, and who is also known nationally as a television personality under the nickname "Karina of Track and Field" (육상계 카리나), a reference to her resemblance to the aespa singer Karina.[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) • [2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) She competes for Hwaseong City Hall, having previously been with Jincheon County, and signed with the entertainment agency Bonbu Entertainment in October 2022 while continuing her athletic career.[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) • [2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province; height 173 cm[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) |
| Main events | 400 m and 400 m hurdles; she has said she is more confident in the hurdles[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) • [2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) |
| Education | Chungbuk Physical Education High School; graduate of Changwon National University[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) |
| Team | Hwaseong City Hall (formerly Jincheon County Hall)[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) |
| National titles | National Sports Festival gold in the 400 m and 400 m hurdles in 2017 and 2018, and 400 m gold in 2019 and 2020[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/) • [2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) |
| Agency | Bonbu Entertainment (본부이엔터테인먼트), signed October 2022[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) |
| Television | Kick a Goal (from season 4), King of the Mask Singer, Single's Inferno season 5, Knowing Bros[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) • [3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/) • [4](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/12009557) |
## Athletic career
Kim took up athletics after a middle school physical education teacher, noticing a growth spurt, suggested she try the sport; she has described herself as an ordinary runner in middle school who trained harder out of competitiveness.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) Her results improved after she entered university, and she has attributed recent improvements partly to strict diet management and abstaining from alcohol during the April-to-October season.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1)
**National titles.** She first drew attention in 2014 by winning the 400 meters hurdles at the 43rd Spring National Middle and High School Athletics Championships.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/) At the Korean National Sports Festival she placed first in both the 400 m flat race and the 400 m hurdles in 2017 and 2018, and won the 400 m again in 2019.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/) The Donga Ilbo interview records her gold medals at the 98th National Sports Festival in 2018 (400 m and 400 m hurdles), the 99th in 2019 (400 m), and the 100th in 2020 (400 m).[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) Other results include third at the 2016 national university championships, first in the 4 × 400 m relay in 2020, and second and fifth at the national business (employers') athletics championships in 2022 and 2024 respectively.[1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333)
**Injuries and racing style.** A chronic [Achilles tendon](https://www.edgepedia.org/achilles-tendon) injury and competition cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her condition, though she continued to reach the medal places.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) She favors the hurdles because technique matters most there, and considers the final 100 meters of a race her strongest phase, where she reads neighboring runners' fatigue while running the bend.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) Her trademark sunglasses date from around 2019, when rain washed a contact lens out of her eye mid-race on a windy day and she could no longer see the curve; a video of her racing without the sunglasses afterward spread widely and contributed to her fame.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1)
## Television career
Kim's popularity began when footage of her running on the track spread on YouTube, and the "Karina of Track and Field" nickname followed.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) In October 2022 she signed with Bonbu Entertainment, the agency of figures including Choo Sung-hoon and Kim Dong-hyun, and said she planned to continue athletics and broadcasting in parallel.[2](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1) Her first television appearance was a commentary role at the 2022 Chuseok Special Idol Star Championships.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/)
**Kick a Goal.** In 2023 she joined the regular cast of the SBS soccer variety show Kick a Goal (골 때리는 그녀들, also known as Shooting Stars) from season 4, as a member of the FC National Team Family squad; Korean coverage describes her as the first active track and field athlete to appear on the program. Over 11 official matches on the show she recorded 4 goals and 1 assist.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/) • [1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333)
**Later appearances.** She appeared on MBC's King of the Mask Singer in December 2023, on the survival show King of Survival: Tribal War (생존왕: 부족전쟁) in the second half of 2024 as a member of Team National Athlete, and on JTBC's Knowing Bros in April 2025.[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/) • [1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) She raised her public profile further with an appearance on [Single's Inferno](https://www.edgepedia.org/singles-inferno) season 5 (Solo Hell 5).[4](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/12009557)
## Disambiguation
The name Kim Min-ji is shared by several Korean athletes, including a long jumper born 1990 with a personal best of 6.27 m, and a short track speed skater, so Korean profile searches typically distinguish this hurdler as "the 1996-born 400 m and 400 m hurdles Kim Min-ji" or by her nickname.[5](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/korea/min-ji-kim-14849644) • [1](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333) • [6](https://en.sedaily.com/sports/2026/07/01/rising-short-track-star-kim-min-ji-signs-management-deal)
## References
1. [김민지 육상선수 프로필, 이슈인터뷰 (2026)](https://interview.infodemic.kr/333)
2. [육상 선수 김민지 "운동, 방송 활동 다 포기하지 않을 거예요", 여성동아 (8 December 2022)](https://woman.donga.com/people/article/all/12/3791926/1)
3. [Meet Kim Min-gee From 'Single's Inferno' Season 5, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/who-is-kim-min-gee-singles-inferno/)
4. [Track and field athlete Kim Min-ji frankly confessed her extraordinary growth story, Maeil Business Newspaper](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/12009557)
5. [Min-ji KIM (long jumper, born 1990), World Athletics profile](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/korea/min-ji-kim-14849644)
6. [Rising Short Track Star Kim Min-ji Signs Management Deal with Next Creative, Seoul Economic Daily](https://en.sedaily.com/sports/2026/07/01/rising-short-track-star-kim-min-ji-signs-management-deal)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Sprinters and hurdlers › Hurdlers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license