"Choi Ga-on, who lives in a 10-billion-won apartment, can't she be proud of winning a gold medal?" [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] Choi Ga-on, an 18-year-old women’s halfpipe snowboarder from Sehwa Girls’ High School, who became Korea’s first Olympic gold medalist in a snow event and the youngest Olympic gold medalist in the country’s history, has suddenly found herself at the center of a "silver spoon" controversy.
The debate began after a banner congratulating Choi on her victory at the 2026 Milan–Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics was hung at the apartment complex where she lives.

The banner was displayed at the entrance of Raemian OnePentas in the Banpo-dong neighborhood of Seocho District, one of the most expensive apartment complexes in Seoul.
On the 15th, photos of the banner were posted on several online communities. It read, in the name of all residents, "The pride of Raemian OnePentas, Choi Ga-on! Congratulations on winning Korea’s first snow-event gold medal."
Traditionally, when an Olympic gold medalist emerges, their alma mater, local government, or neighborhood puts up congratulatory banners and leaves them up for a certain period. This time, however, once the recent actual transaction prices at Raemian OnePentas became widely known, the mood shifted.
In this complex, a standard 79-square-meter unit (about 24 pyeong) has been sold for 3.4 billion won. Units of about 200 square meters (around 60 pyeong) are listed at 9 to 11 billion won, and 245-square-meter units (about 74 pyeong) are on the market for 12 to 15 billion won.
Choi Ga-on graduated from nearby Sehwa Girls’ Middle School and now attends Sehwa Girls’ High School, known as a prestigious school in the so-called Gangnam "Eight School Districts."


The controversial banner has now been taken down.
On the 16th, posts began appearing on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), saying that the banner celebrating Choi Ga-on’s gold medal, which had been hanging at the entrance to the complex, was no longer there.
As photos of the banner spread, along with pictures of congratulatory gifts prepared by Choi’s friends, some people filed complaints with the district office, attacking her as a "rich kid showing off." The banner was reportedly removed in response to these complaints.
After news of the removal broke, public opinion split. Some argued that "Choi Ga-on’s gold-medal narrative was shattered because she turned out to be born with a silver spoon," expressing discomfort. Others countered that "not every rich kid becomes a gold medalist," defending the effort she put into her sport.

Speaking to News1, one citizen said, "Residents of the apartment complex where high school student Choi Ga-on lives put up a banner to congratulate her on the gold medal, and her friends prepared gifts, which were also posted online." The person continued, "But people kept filing complaints with the district office, asking how someone living in a 10-billion-won apartment could flaunt being born with a silver spoon, and in the end the banner was taken down."
Another citizen commented, "I don’t understand how a narrative is supposed to form around a silver-spoon kid living in a 10-billion-won apartment just because she won a gold medal." They added, "Children from wealthy families can get back on their feet quickly even if they fail, so stories about overcoming hardship don’t really resonate in the same way," downplaying her achievement.
Online reactions were no different.
One netizen wrote, "When a poor person wins a gold medal, it becomes a national epic about a great hero. When a rich person wins a gold medal, people treat it like ‘if you have money you’re innocent, if you don’t you’re guilty.’" The post continued, "Isn’t this typical of people who can endure hunger but can’t stand seeing others do well? We now live in a strange world where even an athlete’s medal is judged differently depending on how much wealth their family has."
Another netizen asked rhetorically, "Even if she really was born with a silver spoon, what exactly is the problem?" and added, "It’s not as if a medal won by a rich kid is worth less than a medal won by an ordinary person."
On the other hand, some negative comments read, "Could she have won a gold medal without her parents’ support?" and, "In a Korean society where apartments function as class markers, people at the very top of the social hierarchy should have considered that flaunting their status might dilute the athlete’s own success story."

Some voices also criticized the broader trend of linking gold medals to "gold spoons."
Comments included, "The fact that this even becomes a topic shows how severe inequality has become in our country," and, "People in this country seem to be suffering from an obsession with comparing wealth."
y27k@fnnews.com Seo Yoon-kyung Reporter