No upsets as big league clubs advance in nat'l football tournament

When the dust settled following eight knockout matches at the nation's largest football tournament, there were no upsets. Top-flight clubs that took on lower-tier opponents all advanced to the quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Wednesday night. FC Seoul of the K League 1 defeated the K League 2 side Daejeon Hana Citizen 4-2 on penalties, with coach Choi Yong-soo prevailing over his predecessor Hwang Sun-hong. In three other K League 1 vs. K League 2 matchups, the upper-tier teams all prevailed.

SoccerJuly 16, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores in 2nd straight match

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has scored in his second straight match. Son opened the scoring against Newcastle United in the Spurs' 3-1 victory in Premier League action at St. James' Park in Newcastle, Britain, on Wednesday (local time). It was Son's 11th goal in the league and 18th goal in all competitions this season. Son had also scored against Arsenal on the weekend. Those 18 goals plus 12 assists in all matches give Son a new career high in the combined goal-assist

SoccerJuly 16, 2020

KBO's emerging slugger surprised with own power surge

It wasn't supposed to come this early. No, when Kiwoom Heroes' outfielder Lee Jung-hoo got to work with his team trainers during the offseason, the idea was to put on muscle so he could start hitting with more power in about two to three years. The 2017 Rookie of the Year in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) had already been one of the league's premier contact hitters, boasting bat-to-ball skill that's almost unparalleled. Since his debut, Lee leads all KBO players in batting average (.34

BaseballJuly 15, 2020

Heavy workload taking toll on Kiwoom Heroes' bullpen

By many measures, the Kiwoom Heroes have had one of the best bullpens in South Korean baseball so far this season. But there's more to that story: Their bullpen has also been the most overworked, never more so than in July, and the heavy load appears to be taking its toll. The Heroes suffered a three-game sweep against the Kia Tigers over the weekend series that extended to Monday due to Sunday's rainout. It dropped the Heroes to 4-7 in July, tied for the second worst record of the month in t

BaseballJuly 14, 2020

First foreign head coach of LCK continues his magic

Jakob Mebdi, the first non-Korean head coach in the League of Legends Champions Korea, is proving that importing foreign talent can work in the Korean esports scene game after game. Mebdi is also known by his game name “YamatoCannon,” which he started using as a League of Legends esports player.  When Sandbox Gaming announced the hiring of Mebdi as head coach before the summer season, many were surprised at the organization’s bold decision. Although some game indust

More SportsJuly 13, 2020

KBO's top club looking to extend lead in midweek series vs. No. 2 team

The two best clubs in South Korean baseball so far this season will square off this week, with the first-place NC Dinos looking to put some distance between themselves and the second-seed Kiwoom Heroes. The Dinos will wrap up their six-game Seoul road trip with a three-game set against the Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome, beginning Tuesday. The Dinos lead the season series 4-2. Prior to Monday's slate, the Dinos had the best record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 39-17-1 (wins-losses-t

BaseballJuly 13, 2020

Ulsan return to top of K League, keep focus on bigger fish to fry

The view from the top is always nice, but Ulsan Hyundai FC understand there is still a lot of football left this season. Ulsan returned to first place in the K League 1 table following a 3-1 victory over Daegu FC on Sunday. The away victory in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, lifted Ulsan to 26 points, one ahead of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Jeonbuk eked out a 2-2 draw against Seongnam FC on Saturday after going down 2-0 and have now been held winless in two straight matches. Ulsan had

SoccerJuly 13, 2020

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores, sets up winner to join exclusive club

Son Heung-min has reached yet another milestone in the Premier League. Son scored a goal and set up the winner in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). He now has 10 goals and 10 assists for the season, becoming only the second Premier League player to reach double figures in both categories in 2019-2020. The South Korean star has now scored in double figures in his fourth consecutive Premier League season. Arsenal opened

SoccerJuly 13, 2020

Kiwoom Heroes take rubber match vs. Samsung Lions in KBO midweek series

The Kiwoom Heroes staged their second come-from-behind victory over the Samsung Lions on Thursday, prevailing 4-2 in the rubber match of their three-game midweek series at home. The Heroes took care of business with a three-run fifth at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, as they improved to 35-22 for the season. The Lions fell to 30-27. Kiwoom starter Eric Jokisch is now 8-2 after scattering eight hits -- tied for his season high -- across seven innings and allowing two earned runs. He has now thrown

BaseballJuly 9, 2020

Triathlete admits to assaulting late teammate, apologizes to family

In an about-face, a triathlete banned for 10 years for allegedly assaulting a late teammate has admitted to his charges and apologized to the teammate's surviving family. Kim Do-hwan, who's accused of abusing Choi Suk-hyeon while they were competing for the Gyeongju City Hall semi-pro club, visited a memorial park in Seongju, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Thursday to pay respects before an urn containing the remains of Choi Suk-hyeon. Choi was found dead on June 26 after endurin

SportsJuly 9, 2020

KBO's batting average leader to miss 3 weeks with leg injuries

The batting average leader in South Korean baseball has been ruled out for up to three weeks with injuries to both legs. The Kia Tigers said their second baseman Kim Sun-bin will miss time with a bruised right ankle and strained left quad. He will be re-evaluated after a couple of weeks, the Tigers added. Kim is leading the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with a .378 average. He won the batting title in 2017 by hitting .370. Kim suffered the injuries on Sunday, after tripping up over the l

BaseballJuly 6, 2020

Jeonbuk's lead at top shrinks after rare loss in K League

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors saw their lead at the top of the K League 1 table shrink to just one point over the weekend, following a combination of their rare loss and a victory by their biggest rival club. Jeonbuk fell to Sangju Sangmu 1-0 on Sunday, with Kang Sang-woo converting a 75th-minute penalty to hand Jeonbuk only their second loss of the season. It was Jeonbuk's first "L" since May 30, when they dropped to Gangwon FC, also by the score of 1-0, and they remained at 24 points. A

SoccerJuly 6, 2020

Kiwoom Heroes' Park Byung-ho hits 300th career KBO home run

Kiwoom Heroes' slugger Park Byung-ho blasted his 300th career home run in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Sunday. Park became the 14th player, and fifth active hitter, to reach that milestone with a two-run home run off KT Wiz starter Kim Min-su in the top of the fifth inning at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Park turned on a 2-2 curveball and sent it over the center field wall, cutting the deficit to 7-3. It wasn't nearly enough, as the Heroes ended up losing 10

BaseballJuly 5, 2020

Pro football league pushes back July 10 target for return of fans

With a spike in local infections of the novel coronavirus, the South Korean football league will not be able to reopen its stadiums on July 10 as it had hoped, a league official said Thursday. The 2020 K League season kicked off on May 8 without spectators, due to COVID-19 infection concerns. And following the government's announcement last Sunday that pro sports stadiums could open their doors again under strict quarantine and preventive measures, the K League had set July 10 as the target fo

SoccerJuly 2, 2020

K League's Ulsan acquire veteran fullback Hong Chul

South Korean football title hopefuls Ulsan Hyundai FC announced Wednesday they've acquired veteran fullback Hong Chul. The K League 1 club signed the South Korean international from Suwon Samsung Bluewings for an undisclosed transfer fee. The 29-year-old left fullback has played in 272 K League matches since making his debut with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunam (currently Seongnam FC) in 2010. He has earned 30 caps with the senior national team and represented the country at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. H

SoccerJuly 1, 2020

Football league targeting July 10 for return of fans

The South Korean football league is hoping to have fans back in the stands by July 10 at the earliest, a league official said Tuesday. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) said the match between Busan IPark and FC Seoul in the top-flight K League 1 will likely be the first contest of the season played before fans. It will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Football and baseball are the two major professional sports being pl

BaseballJune 30, 2020

KBO considering QR code registration for fans when stadiums reopen during pandemic

As it prepares to reopen ballparks to fans during the coronavirus pandemic, the South Korean baseball league is contemplating installing an electronic entry registration system at stadiums based on quick response (QR) code. Ryu Dae-hwan, secretary general of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), told Yonhap News Agency Tuesday that QR code is being considered as part of the league's measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and to expedite contact tracing in case of positive tes

BaseballJune 30, 2020

Baseball fans required to sit apart, no outside food permitted when stadiums open

When fans return to baseball stadiums sometime in July, they will be asked to sit apart from one another to maintain a safe distance. And they'll not be allowed to bring in any outside food. This will be part of a new normal in fan experience in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) during the coronavirus pandemic. The KBO released a new health and safety manual for fans Tuesday, as it prepares to swing open gates to baseball enthusiasts. The 2020 season opened on May 5 without fans in the s

BaseballJune 30, 2020

Last-place football club scraps plans for reunion with cancer-stricken ex-coach

Incheon United, the last-place club in the top division South Korean football league, will not bring back their cancer-stricken former head coach Yoo Sang-chul after all. Team officials said Tuesday that Yoo, who left the bench in January to continue his battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, has been told by his doctors that it'd be too much of a health risk for Yoo to return as head coach. The club had confirmed reports Monday that Yoo had approached Incheon's senior executives and expresse

SoccerJune 30, 2020

No changes at top and bottom of K League 1 table after wild weekend

When the dust settled after the weekend, there were no changes at the top and the bottom of the table in South Korean football. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors blanked Ulsan Hyundai FC 2-0 on Sunday in a battle of the two best clubs in the K League 1. Jeonbuk extended their lead over Ulsan to 24-20, while handing their rivals their first loss of the season. At the opposite end, Incheon United suffered their seventh consecutive loss on Saturday, falling to FC Seoul 1-0. With two draws and seven losses,

SoccerJune 29, 2020