Cha first appeared internationally at the 2012 Junior World Championships in Obihiro . There he was tenth over 1000 m and fifth in the 2 x 500 m run. The following year he won bronze over 1000 m and silver in the 2 x 500 m run at the Asian Championships in Changchun . At the beginning of the 2016/17 season he started the World Cup in Harbin for the first time and qualified her with first place over 500 m for the A group. The next day he achieved tenth place over 1000 m and sixth place over 500 m. At the following World Cup in Nagano , he achieved his first podium finish in the World Cup with third place over 500 m. At the South Korean Championships in 2016 he won the 1000 m and sprint all-around. At the 2017 Winter Universiade in Almaty , he won the 1000 m and the gold medal in the two 500 m run. In February 2017 he won bronze at the Winter Asian Games 2017 in Obihiro over 500 m and came in sixth over 1000 m. At the 2017 World Single Distance Championships in Gangwon , he came 12th over 500 m. In December 2017 he ran at the World Cup in Calgary in 34.31 seconds with a personal best in second place over 500 m. In the same month, as in the previous year, he became South Korean champion in the sprint all-around competition. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang , he won the silver medal over 500 m.
In the 2018/19 season, Cha achieved five top ten placements, including second place over 500 m in Salt Lake City , sixth place in the overall World Cup over 500 m. At the individual distance world championships in 2019 in Inzell , he won the silver medal in the team sprint and also achieved fourth place over 500 m.
Personal bests
500 m 34.03 sec. (installed on March 10, 2019 in Salt Lake City)
1000 m 1: 09.00 min. (installed on September 24, 2016 in Calgary)
1500 m 1: 51.33 min. (installed on September 10, 2016 in Calgary)
3000 m 4: 09.69 min. (installed on January 20, 2016 in Seoul)
Participation in World Championships and Olympic Winter Games
Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Korean. Cha is the family name here, Min-kyu is the first name.