The Min-Gamelin duo will skate in the second stage of the national Olympic qualification this weekend at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul. This is Gamelin's first competition on Korean ice since his naturalization, and he said coming into the country with a new passport felt "different."

"I was very proud to become a Korean citizen. Coming back here as a Korean citizen makes me feel very honored," he said at the pre-competition press conference at the rink. "I feel more welcomed in Korea."

In an homage to Korean culture and heritage, the two skate their free program to "Arirang," perhaps the best-known Korean folk song, while dressed in the traditional costume, or hanbok.

Min said Arirang's tempo and rhythm fit perfectly with their choreography.

"It was almost like fate that we should skate to it," she said. "We represent Korea, and we chose Arirang and hanbok because they both represent the Korean culture."

Gamelin said he liked the idea of being in a Korean skating tandem to show the world Korean culture at an Olympics held on the Korean ice. But he wants to more than just to showcase the culture of his adopted nation.

"Since we're such a new team skating together, our goal for PyeongChang is to really skate our best and show the world we can compete with teams that have been skating together a long time already," he said. "We just want to skate strong programs and make Korea proud."

As the only ice dancing team on the ice, the upcoming competition will essentially serve as a rehearsal for the Olympics for the duo.

"Since we don't have any major international event between now and PyeongChang, we're really focusing on cleaning up our elements," Gamelin said. "We want to make everything look more polished so we can really present a good program at the Olympics." (Yonhap)