South Korean figure skating star Kim Yu-na said Wednesday her new free skating program, dedicated to her Korean fans, will be "exhilarating" to watch at this week's world championships in Russia.

At the 2011 World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Kim is set to perform her short program to the ballet "Giselle" on Friday and then her Saturday free skating to "Homage to Korea," a compilation of traditional Korean music, including the well-known folk song "Arirang."

Kim, who has not competed since last year's world championships, unveiled her free skating routine for the first time in practice late Tuesday in Moscow. Through a pool report from Russia, Kim said the highlight of the program will be near the end.

"You will feel exhilarated watching the program," Kim was quoted as saying. "When Arirang comes on and I perform my spiral, I will be able to convey those feelings."

Figure skaters often have a full season, from mid fall to late spring, to perform and polish their programs for the world championships, the final competition of a figure skating season.

But Kim hasn't skated her programs in a competitive setting and the skater admitted she'd been nervous before the first practice.

"I got a little tense because of all the expectations," Kim said. "I was a bit off during my practice but I am generally satisfied with it."

When she announced her programs in November last year, Kim had said Homage to Korea would be her way to return the love from her fans. David Wilson, Kim's choreographer, called the free skating program Kim's "love letter" to her native country.

The 20-year-old, who won the Olympic gold medal in Vancouver last year and also a world title in 2009, is one of the most beloved athletes in South Korea.

Kim said she has incorporated some movements of traditional Korean dance into Homage to Korea and also applied some contemporary interpretations to better express a wide range of emotions.

"David Wilson and I watched a lot of traditional movements and practiced them repeatedly," Kim said.

Kim, who holds world records in short program (78.50), free skating (150.06) and overall points (228.56), is considered a favorite despite her protracted absence. But she will be the only South Korean when the competition starts Friday.

Kwak Min-jung of South Korea, 17, failed to make it out of the ladies' preliminary held late Tuesday in Moscow. She scored 67.75 points to rank 15th among 26 skaters trying to qualify. Kwak needed to finish among the top 12 to join 18 others in Friday's short program.

Kwak, who botched several triple jumps, blamed an unspecified muscle tear for her poor performance and said she has still not completely healed.

(Yonhap News)