Sean M. Haffey/Getty; Chloe Kim/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
Chloe Kim was raised by her dad Jong Jin Kim and mom Boran Yun Kim in California
Her dad first took her snowboarding at the age of 4 and later quit his job to support her Olympic dreams
Chloe has had the support of her parents at the 2026 Winter Olympics
Chloe Kim's biggest supporters are her parents,Jong Jin Kimand Boran Yun Kim.
The two-time Olympic snowboarder has dominated the sport since her debut at the 2014 Winter X Games at 14 years old. Since then, Chloe has broken record after record: She became the youngest woman towin gold in the halfpipe eventat the 2018 Winter Olympics at 17, the first woman to win back-to-back golds whenshe medaled again in Beijingin 2022, and the first woman to land consecutive 1080 spins and a 1260 in competition.
Now, Chloe, the daughter of Korean immigrants, has the opportunity to make history once again as she competes for her third gold medal at the2026 Winter Olympics. But none of Chloe's snowboarding success would have been possible without the love and encouragement of her family, particularly her dad and mom, whom she describes as her "No. 1 fans."
"My parents, as I'm pretty sure the world knows, are so important," Chloe told PEOPLE in February 2022. "My upbringing and giving me a sense of who I am —they were the most amazing supportive parents. ... I always look forward to seeing their faces at the bottom of the pipe, cheering me on."
Here is everything to know about Chloe Kim's parents, Jong Jin Kim and Boran Yun Kim.
Jong Jin first immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in 1982
Chloe Kim/Instagram
Chloe's father, Jong Jin, moved from his native South Korea to Los Angeles in 1982 when he was 26 years old, according toESPN. He arrived with only $800, an English-Korean dictionary and hopes for a better life.
"It was a dream country," he told ESPN. "A totally different world."
Jong Jin worked minimum-wage jobs as a dishwasher and cashier to save money for college. He eventually enrolled in El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., earning a degree in engineering and operating machinery at night,The New York Timesreported.
During this time, Jong Jin met his first wife and welcomed two daughters: Chloe's half-sisters Tracy and Erica. However, the marriage ultimately ended in divorce, per ESPN.
Jong Jin and Boran Yun met in Switzerland
Chloe Kim/Instagram
Though both originally from South Korea, Jong Jin and Boran Yun met thousands of miles away in Switzerland.
Following his divorce, Jong Jin moved to Switzerland, where his older sister was living at the time, and opened a travel agency for Koreans, according to ESPN. He met Boran Yun there when she was traveling from Seoul on business, and the two eventually married.
In 1998, the couple moved to the U.S. and settled in Southern California. Two years later, on April 23, 2000, Boran Yun gave birth to their only child together, daughter Chloe.
Chloe's dad introduced her to snowboarding when she was 4 years old
Chloe Kim/Instagram
Jong Jin took Chloe snowboarding for the first time when she was 4 years old, as a way to convince Boran Yun to join him,Sports Illustratedreported. They went to Mountain High Resort, about 90 minutes from their home in La Palma, Calif.
"He wanted my mom to go with him," Chloe toldThe Washington Postin February 2018. "So he took me as bait."
Initially, Chloe did not enjoy her time on the slopes, "probably because I was four and it was cold out," she toldSports Illustrated. But her mom, Boran Yun, noticed her natural talent almost immediately.
"Since she started, she was good," Boran Yun told ESPN. "We don't know where it comes from."
Jong Jin bought Chloe her first snowboard off eBay
David Ramos/Getty
With Chloe displaying snowboarding ability early on, Jong Jin did everything he could to foster her interest — even if it meant getting creative.
He bought Chloe her first snowboard off of eBay for $25 when she was 5 years old, used melted candles to wax the bottom to make it go faster, and cut up yoga mats to place inside her snow pants to pad her falls, ESPN reported.
Chloe's first introduction to competitive snowboarding came as a result of Jong Jin's frugal nature as well.
She went on to join Mountain High's snowboarding team because for a $400 fee Chloe would receive a season pass to the mountain, private lessons and snowboarding gear, according toWomen's Health. (Lessons alone were typically $100 a session, Jong Jin revealed to ESPN.)
"It paid for itself in one weekend," Chloe told the magazine.
Chloe's father Jong Jin quit his job to help her reach the Olympics
When Chloe was 10, Jong Jin believed Chloe had the talent to eventually make it to the Olympics for snowboarding. So, with his wife's support, he quit his job as an engineer to be able to dedicate all of his time to Chloe's sport.
Advertisement
"I feel like it was a really bold move, and I can't believe my mom was okay with it," Chloe toldThe Washington Postabout her father's decision.
Chloe began homeschool and joined the snowboarding team at Mammoth Mountain — a five-plus hour drive each way from her home. Every Friday during the snow season, Jong Jin would wake Chloe up at 2 a.m. to make the 350-mile trip.
"The driving was a huge part, I think, of my everyday life," Chloe said in a 2016 video (viaSFGate).
"He's helped me so much on this crazy journey," she continued. "Giving up his job, being away from my mom, and being away from home for that much just because of me? It's a lot. And I thank him for it."
Chloe's mom Boran Yun made her favorite Korean dish before she traveled
JEFF SWINGER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
As Chloe continued in her snowboarding career, she and her father would travel around the world to find the best conditions and halfpipes to train in.
Before embarking on their trips, Boran Yun would make Chloe's favorite Korean dish — Miyeok-guk or seaweed soup — and pack it for them to travel with.
"Miyeok-guk was just one of those things that we got to bring a little piece of home with us across the world, wherever we were," Chloe told PEOPLE in February 2022.
It was Boran Yun's way of supporting their daughter "behind the scenes."
"She would stay back, she would take care of my sisters," Chloe said of her mom. "She would work and she was like the glue that held our family together."
Boran Yun and Jong Jin supported Chloe at her first Olympics in 2018
Chloe Kim/Instagram
The 2018 Winter Olympics — the first games that Chloe was eligible to compete at — were held in the Kims' home country of South Korea. Boran Yun and Jong Jin made the trip to PyeongChang to support Chloe as she competed for the U.S. team for the first time, and several of her family members who still lived in Korea joined, as well.
"It's some crazy luck thatmy first Olympics are going to be in Koreawhere my parents are from," Chloe told PEOPLE in February 2018. "And a lot of my relatives over there have never really seen me compete before, so I think it's going to be pretty cool for everyone. It's really exciting, my whole family is really excited about it, so that gets me even more stoked!"
Both Boran Yun and Jong Jin proudly supported Chloe from the sidelines.Boran Yun sported patriotic nail art, with one finger painted with an American flag and another with the Korean flag, in a nod to Chloe's background. "Ready to watch Chloe NAIL it! :)" Boran Yun wrote on a now-private Instagram post, alongside a snapshot of her manicure.
Jong, meanwhile,became a viral sensationthanks to the homemade poster he brought to the PyeongChang Games. As Chloe performed her gold-medal winning run in the halfpipe, he cheered from below with a laminated "Go Chloe!" sign, complete with a heart.
Jong Jin calls Chloe his "American dream"
David Ramos/Getty
As Chloe was making a name for herself in the snowboarding world, the Korean Ski Association made her two offers (in 2011 and 2016) for her to compete for the Korean team at the Olympics. However, for both Chloe and her father, it was important for the athlete to represent the United States on the world stage.
"If Chloe brings the gold medal to the U.S. and can be in the history books as a Korean-American, that is bigger for Korea," Jong Jin told ESPN. "Then the American people are very proud of her and think Koreans are more reliable, better people."
Chloe's first gold medal win at the 2018 Olympic games was the realization of this dream.
"We — an immigrant like me —we always say, 'the American dream,'" Jong Jin toldToday, before agreeing that Chloe was his American dream.
Chloe says Boran Yun is her "best friend"
Chloe Kim/Instagram
Chloe has a close knit relationship with her entire family, but enjoys a special bond with her mother, Boran Yun.
"My mom's amazing, she's my bestie," Chloe told PEOPLE in February 2022. "We do everything together."
When she's not training or competing for snowboarding, one of Chloe's favorite things to do is spend time with her family and her dog, Reese. That time with her loved ones helps to keep her grounded, she shared.
"My mom and I are like best friends so we always go shopping together, we always take Reese to the park together," Chloe told PEOPLE in February 2018. "I think just me living in the city, when I'm not on snow, just kind of helps a lot with my life and being normal."
Read the original article onPeople
