Amid retirement speculation, Ryu So-yeon set for belated LPGA season debut

Though she only turned 30 this year, LPGA golfer Ryu So-yeon has been fielding questions about retirement. Considering that Ryu has yet to play on the LPGA Tour this year -- the South Korean star will make her season debut this week in Texas -- and that she chose to stay home even after the US competition resumed, perhaps questions about Ryu's future were understandable. Ryu said Thursday she wasn't thinking about quitting the sport during her time away from LPGA; rather, she only wanted an ex

GolfDec. 3, 2020

KBO's MVP poised for another year-end trophy

The 2020 regular season MVP in South Korean baseball is poised to pick up another piece of hardware this month. Mel Rojas Jr. of the KT Wiz has been nominated for the Golden Glove in the outfield category, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Wednesday. The slugging right fielder captured the MVP award on Monday in a landslide after leading the KBO in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and runs scored. He became the sixth foreign player to take KBO's top individual award. Rojas J

BaseballDec. 2, 2020

S. Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu to pursue 3rd term

The current South Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu will seek his third term at the helm. An official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) said Tuesday that Chung, its current president, submitted his letter of intent to run for another term earlier in the day, and it will be officially processed Wednesday. Under KFA rules, Chung will be suspended from duty during his campaigning period. Cho Byung-deuk, the most senior among seven vice presidents, will serve as the interim president.

SoccerDec. 1, 2020

KBO asks MLB to post NC Dinos slugger Na Sung-bum

One of South Korea's premier sluggers will be knocking on the big league doors this winter. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Monday it has asked Major League Baseball to post NC Dinos outfielder Na Sung-bum for MLB's 30 clubs. The decision came after the Dinos requested the Korean league take that administrative step and give Na a chance to reach the big leagues. Under the posting system, any interested big league team will be able to negotiate with Na during a 30-day period. It will

BaseballNov. 30, 2020

Abusive curling coaches, officials banned for life

South Korean curling officials and coaches who abused the national women's team members for years have been slapped with lifetime bans. The Korean Curling Federation (KCF) announced Monday that its former Vice President Kim Kyung-doo, his daughter Kim Min-jung and her husband Jang Ban-seok will no longer be allowed to set foot in the sport. The Kims were once considered the royal family in South Korean curling. Kim Kyung-doo was a founding member of the KCF in 1994. Kim Min-jung was the head

More SportsNov. 30, 2020

N. Korean int'l footballer wins MVP award in S. Korean league

Suwon FC forward An Byong-jun was named the MVP of the K League 2 on Monday, becoming the first player of North Korean descent to nab the individual award in South Korean football. An scored 21 of Suwon's 53 goals to lead all K League 2 scorers. He earned 14 votes from K League coaches and team captains, and 57 votes from the media. Those votes were converted to 72.4 points, nearly 50 more than the runner-up, Lee Chang-min of Jeju United. An, who was born in Japan and has represented North Kor

SoccerNov. 30, 2020

Suwon FC earn promotion to K League 1 with last-gasp penalty

Suwon FC earned a promotion back to the top competition in South Korean football on Sunday, thanks to a last-second penalty that punctuated a dramatic finish. Suwon FC played Gyeongnam FC to a 1-1 draw in the final K League 2 promotion playoff at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. But since Suwon were the higher seed in this match after finishing the season in second place, they only needed a draw against the third-seeded Gyeongnam to return to the K League 1. And An

SoccerNov. 29, 2020

LCK player salaries remain secret, but rumors continue

As the stove league continues in the League of Legends Champions Korea offseason, roster changes and transfers are being announced in preparation for the franchise system that will start in spring. However, player salaries and transfer fees, on which everyone keeps an eye every year during the stove league, are once again kept hidden, revealed only through rumors, without any official statements. Despite the secrecy surrounding the exact price, the figures being tossed about this year are at

More SportsNov. 29, 2020

[Newsmaker] Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona dies at 60

BUENOS AIRES (AP) -- Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer great who scored the “Hand of God” goal in 1986 and led his country to that year’s World Cup title before later struggling with cocaine use and obesity, has died. He was 60. Maradona’s spokesman, Sebastián Sanchi, said he died Wednesday of a heart attack, two weeks after being released from a hospital in Buenos Aires following brain surgery. The office of Argentina’s president said it will decre

SoccerNov. 26, 2020

Gyeongnam FC advance to final K-League promotion playoff

Gyeongnam FC advanced to South Korean football‘s final promotion playoff with a 1-1 draw against rivals Daejeon Hana Citizen on Wednesday. Ko Kyung-min scored a 70th minute equalizer for Gyeongnam, 10 minutes after Edinho put Daejeon on the board in the first stage of the promotion playoffs in the second-tier K League 2 at Changwon Football Center in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. As the higher seed, Gyeongnam only needed a draw, with no extra time or penalty shootout in p

SoccerNov. 25, 2020

Following suspension, Olympic skating champion wants to enjoy competition again

Two-time Olympic speed skating gold medalist Lee Seung-hoon returned to the ice on Wednesday, hoping to enjoy being on the ice again after serving his one-year suspension over allegations of physically assaulting teammates. Lee skated in the men's 5,000m race at the Korea Skating Union (KSU) President's Cup National Speed Skating Championship at Taeneung International Rink in Seoul. It was his first race since the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. He finished fourth at 6:53.28, well off his com

More SportsNov. 25, 2020

One additional nat'l football team staffer tests positive for COVID-19

The South Korean men's national football team reported an additional positive coronavirus test from a staff member Tuesday, while a goalkeeper who was previously infected has since tested negative. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said a fourth team staff member has tested positive for COVID-19 while in Austria for a pair of friendly matches earlier this month. During the November trip, seven players were also infected: Lee Dong-jun and Kim Moon-hwan of Busan IPark, Kwon Chang-hoon of SC F

SoccerNov. 24, 2020

Dinos on verge of Korean Series title after shutting out Bears 5-0

The NC Dinos are one win away from capturing their first South Korean baseball championship. Starter Koo Chang-mo fired seven shutout innings, and cleanup Yang Eui-ji blasted a two-run home run in the bottom sixth, lifting the Dinos to a 5-0 victory in Game 5 of the Korean Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Monday. Yang's shot followed Aaron Altherr's tiebreaking RBI single in the fifth. The Dinos added two insurance runs in the seventh. After their second straight shutout, the Dinos lea

BaseballNov. 23, 2020

KBO champions to be crowned before reduced crowd under tighter distancing rules

When the 2020 South Korean baseball championship is awarded this week, it will be done before a reduced crowd due to tighter social distancing rules in the capital region. The government decided on Sunday to enforce Level 2 distancing regulations for the greater Seoul area, the third-highest in South Korea's five-tier coronavirus alert system, effective Tuesday. The move was in response to the continued surge in COVID-19 cases in Seoul and surrounding regions, even after the distancing level wa

BaseballNov. 22, 2020

Son Heung-min takes over Premier League scoring lead with goal vs. Man City

Back from international duty marred by coronavirus infections for his teammates, Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min has claimed the sole possession of the Premier League scoring lead. Son netted a fifth-minute opener for a 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday (local time). It was his ninth goal in nine matches in the league this year, putting Son ahead of three players -- Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Jamie Var

SoccerNov. 22, 2020

Bwipo, T1 apologizes to Effort

Online game League of Legends esports team T1 posted an official apology to its player Lee “Effort” Sang-ho, and European team Fnatic player Gabriel “Bwipo” Rau apologized to both T1 and Effort on Thursday following a series of online controversies surrounding a leak about a potential transfer in the stove league during Effort’s stream. The controversy started when a private chat between T1 members was shown in Effort’s stream on Nov. 3. The chat implied tha

More SportsNov. 20, 2020

KBO to allow clubs to cut salary in case of extraordinary events

Starting next year, South Korean baseball clubs will be allowed to reduce player salaries if the season is interrupted by extraordinary events. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Thursday that, following their board meeting, general managers from its 10 clubs agreed to add the "force majeure" clause into player contracts. Under that clause, teams will be able to cut wages without liability, if events beyond their control disrupt the season. Those events include an outbreak of

BaseballNov. 19, 2020

[News Focus] Euro 2020, with 12 joint hosts, draws attention amid pandemic

SEJONG -- Alongside the Tokyo Summer Olympics, another big international sports event is slated for next summer: the Euro 2020. Both events have been delayed by one year due to COVID-19. The UEFA Euro 2020 -- whose official title, like that of Tokyo 2020, remains unchanged -- is slated for June 11-July 11, 2021, about a month before the Olympic Games. Some Japanese are protesting for the withdrawal of the 32nd Summer Olympiad, citing pandemic risks, and the same is true of the Euros. Since

SoccerNov. 19, 2020

Seoul to host forum supporting sports growth in developing nations

An annual forum designed to support the growth of sports in developing countries will be held in Seoul this week, a related state-funded agency said Wednesday. The sports ministry will host the "Dream Together Seoul Forum" at SKY31 Conference Hall at Lotte World Tower in Seoul, starting at 2 p.m. Friday. The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) organized the event, which will be held under the theme "Sports for a Better World." KSPO said Thursday the forum will help pro

More SportsNov. 19, 2020

Dinos' Altherr apologizes for refusing to wear mask during Korean Series

An American baseball player competing in the South Korean baseball championship series apologized on Wednesday for refusing to wear a mask during official pregame and postgame functions. Aaron Altherr of the NC Dinos skipped the award ceremony and his postgame press conference on Tuesday, after being named the Player of the Game in the Dinos' 5-3 victory over the Doosan Bears in Game 1 of the Korean Series. Altherr hit a three-run home run at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, but told the club and th

BaseballNov. 18, 2020