Kim Yu-na speaks during a press conference in Shanghai, China, Saturday. / Yonhap

By Jung Min-ho

Olympic champion Kim Yu-na said Saturday that she will soon announce her future plans.

“I have decided my career path after college to some extent. I will be able to say what it is before the summer,” Kim said at a press conference in China.

The 21-year-old figure skater flew to Shanghai Friday to participate in Sunday’s 2012 Artistry on Ice show featuring high-profile skaters such as Russia’s Evgeni Plushenko, Canada’s Kurt Browning, and Japan’s Shizuka Arakawa.

“I have discussed my future plan with people around me and got direction,” Kim said.

It is the first time that the skater has mentioned her plans since October when she said she would not part take in competitions to contemplate her future, although she is not considering retiring for the time being.

However, Kim did not elaborate, saying, “Nothing has been decided yet.”

Kim, who has not performed at a competitive level since last year’s World Championships in May 2011, and remained cautious about appearing at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“I do not think it is appropriate to talk about competing at the Olympics since I have not yet decided on whether to perform in competitions. However, provided that I participate in the Winter Olympics, there is enough time to prepare for the Sochi Games,” said Kim, who has been training at the National Training Center to stay match fit.

On Kim’s defamation lawsuit against Yonsei University psychology professor Hwang Sang-min, who called her teaching practice at a high school a “show,” Kim, a physical education major at Korea University said, “I dropped the charges because it was becoming a much bigger issue than I anticipated and I thought it was not right. I don’t want to talk about that issue anymore.”