The 2004 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships took place between March 17 and 19, 2004 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The World Championships are organised by the ISU which also run world cups and championships in speed skating and figure skating.
| Overall* | Ahn Hyun-soo | 102 points | Song Suk-woo | 68 points | 29 points | ||
| 500 m | Song Suk-woo | 42.599 | 42.667 | 43.420 | |||
| 1000 m | Ahn Hyun-soo | 1:26.813 | 1:27.162 | 1:28.002 | |||
| 1500 m | Ahn Hyun-soo | 2:16.376 | 2:16.418 | Song Suk-woo | 2:16.657 | ||
| 3000 m | Ahn Hyun-soo | 5:03.670 | Song Suk-woo | 5:09.807 | 5:10.089 | ||
| 5000 m relay | 6:48.133 | 6:49.232 | 6:49.563 |
* First place is awarded 34 points, second is awarded 21 points, third is awarded 13 points, fourth is awarded 8 points, fifth is awarded 5 points, sixth is awarded 3 points, seventh is awarded 2 points, and eighth is awarded 1 point in the finals of each individual race to determine the overall world champion. The relays do not count for the overall classification.
| Overall* | Choi Eun-kyung | 84 points | 60 points | Byun Chun-sa | 55 points | ||
| 500 m | 45.332 | 45.482 | Choi Eun-kyung | 45.516 | |||
| 1000 m | Choi Eun-kyung | 1:34.724 | Byun Chun-sa | 1:34.806 | 1:35.033 | ||
| 1500 m | Choi Eun-kyung | 2:28.048 | 2:28.299 | 2:29.573 | |||
| 3000 m | Byun Chun-sa | 5:58.035 | 5:58.344 | 5:58.448 | |||
| 3000 m relay† | 4:20.985 |  China Cheng Xiao Lei Fu Tian Yu Liu Xiaoying Wang Meng | 4:21.112 |  Italy Mara Zini Katia Zini Catia Borrello Marta Capurso | DQ |
* First place is awarded 34 points, second is awarded 21 points, third is awarded 13 points, fourth is awarded 8 points, fifth is awarded 5 points, sixth is awarded 3 points, seventh is awarded 2 points, and eighth is awarded 1 point in the finals of each individual race to determine the overall world champion. The relays do not count for the overall classification.