Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan on March 25 performs in the men's single free skate at the International Skating Union's World Figure Skating Championships held at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. (Yonhap News)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

Cha Jun-hwan is the nation's first male figure skater to win a silver medal at the International Skating Union's World Figure Skating Championships. 

Cha thus set a personal mark after scoring 282.38 points at last year's Beijing Winter Olympics and achieved new highs both in the short program and free skate. 

He danced to a medley of American pop star Michael Jackson's songs in the short program and his free skate was accompanied by selections from the soundtrack of the latest James Bond movie "No Time to Die," raising his artistry to a higher level. 

Cha is the country's first male figure skater to win an individual medal at the tournament, the No. 2 competition in the sport behind the Winter Olympics. His silver means Korea earned three men's spots at next year's world championships. 

"After the Beijing (Olympics), I was talking to my teammates and my family, like, 'Maybe in next Olympics, I want to make three spots for the Korean male skaters,' and I think this is the start, so I'm very happy about it," he said. 

At this year's world championships, the men's gold went to Shoma Uno of Japan with 301.14 points and the bronze to Ilia Malinin of the U.S. with 288.44. 

dusrud21@korea.kr