Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan to make acting comeback in Tving sitcom

Cha Jun-hwan makes a heart gesture. [Yonhap]

Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan, 24, who recently announced he is stepping back from competitive skating, will take on a lead acting role in a sitcom.

Tving announced it will release its first sitcom, "Gungjeongraendeu," next year with Cha in the lead role, Yonhap reported Wednesday.

Cha will play Seong Dae-han, a new cast member at an amusement park, navigating the behind-the-scenes struggles of part-time workers at the quirky venue.

Cha is no stranger to acting — he made his debut as a child actor in 2006, appearing in the drama series "Miracle" and "Return of Iljimae." The upcoming sitcom marks his first acting project in 18 years, since the 2009 KBS 2TV series "Geujeot Barabodaga."

Actor Woo Da-vi will play Song Ye-jin, a senior cast member. Singer Min-seo, Momoland's Nancy, comedian Kim Gyu-hwan, Lee Jae-won and Park So-jin are also set to appear. The script was written by In Sol.

Cha has been one of South Korea's most prominent men's singles figure skaters.

On Monday, Cha announced through his Instagram account that he was pausing his competitive career. The sitcom casting confirms what many had expected — that he would shift his focus to entertainment. In his post, Cha said he had "decided after much deliberation not to continue national team activities and competition this season." He added that he had concluded his contract with the Seoul Metropolitan Government after thorough discussions. "I sincerely thank the Seoul Metropolitan Government and its officials for believing in me and giving me their unwavering support," he said.

"I intend to do my best in the work ahead of me and carefully consider what direction I want to take going forward," Cha added.

Cha had been invited to the Cup of China, the third event of the 2026-2027 International Skating Union Grand Prix series, and the NHK Trophy, the sixth, but is expected to withdraw from both following his decision.

Cha had been weighing whether to continue his competitive career after finishing fourth at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

He leaves behind a landmark legacy in Korean men's figure skating. At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he finished 15th — at the time the best Olympic result ever recorded by a South Korean men's singles skater. He went on to win the 2022 ISU Four Continents Championships, claim a silver medal at the 2023 ISU World Championships, and take gold at the 2025 Harbin Asian Winter Games.

He placed fifth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and fourth at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.

yul@heraldcorp.com