Coach Shin defends picking 5 defenders from one club for pre-World Cup matches

When South Korea play their two pre-World Cup football friendlies later this month, chances are the entire defensive corps will be made up of players from the same club in at least one of the two matches.National team head coach Shin Tae-yong on Monday announced his 23-man roster for matches against Northern Ireland and Poland. He picked eight defenders, and five of them are from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in K League 1: Hong Jeong-ho, Kim Min-jae, Kim Jin-su, Choi Chul-soon and Lee Yong. They have

SoccerMarch 12, 2018

Tottenham star Son Heung-min leads Korean roster for pre-World Cup friendlies

Red-hot Tottenham forward Son Heung-min will lead South Korea at two pre-World Cup friendly matches set for later this month in Europe.Son was among 23 players named to head coach Shin Tae-yong's squad on Monday. South Korea, ranked 58th in the world, will face 26th-ranked Northern Ireland in Belfast on March 24, and then take on world No. 7 Poland in Chorzow four days later.These matches will be good litmus tests for South Korea before they face Germany, Mexico and Sweden at the FIFA World Cup

SoccerMarch 12, 2018

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin shaky in 1st official spring training start

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin saw his struggles against the Colorado Rockies continue in spring training.The South Korean left-hander allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday (local time), though he was still credited with the win in the Dodgers' 13-7 victory.This was Ryu's first official spring training start. Last week, he faced the Chicago White Sox minor leaguers in the unofficial "B" game an

BaseballMarch 12, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Amid passionate support, Winter Paralympic Games kick off

In a move to support the successful hosting of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, various events were held Saturday to encourage the athletes and welcome the tourists.As the Winter Paralympics kicked off its 10-day run Friday, National Smile Team, affiliated with the Visit Korea Committee, hosted a campaign for the public near Gangneung Station on Saturday. Members of the University Students’ National Smile Team welcome foreign tourists at Gangneung Station for the 2018 PyeongChang Wi

Olympic GamesMarch 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Nordic skier Sin Eui-hyun wins Korea's 1st medal at PyeongChang Winter Paralympics

PYEONGCHANG -- Nordic para skier Sin Eui-hyun earned South Korea's first medal at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games Sunday, taking bronze in the men's 15-kilometer sitting cross-country skiing event.Sin clocked a time of 42 minutes, 28.9 seconds at Alpensia Biathlon Centre in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul to finish third among 27 competitors.Sin's bronze was South Korea's first medal at the PyeongChang Paralympics, which kicked off 10-day campaign on Friday. Sin finished f

Olympic GamesMarch 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] N. Koreans officially make Winter Paralympics debut

PYEONGCHANG -- North Korean para athletes have officially made their Winter Paralympics debut here as two sit skiers competed in the men's cross-country skiing event on Sunday.Kim Jong-hyon and Ma Yu-chol competed in the men's 15-kilometer sitting cross-country skiing event at the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics at Alpensia Biathlon Centre in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul.The two North Koreans were the bottom two finishers among the 27 competitors who completed the race. Ma took

Olympic GamesMarch 11, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] IOC, IPC agree to extend partnership until at least 2032

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said Saturday they've agreed to extend their partnership until at least 2032.   IOC President Thomas Bach and IPC chief Andrew Parsons held a joint press conference at Main Press Centre in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, to announce the signing of a new partnership between the two sport organizations.    "The IOC is very pleased about this new long-term agreement with the IPC because it was one of the recom

SportsMarch 10, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Slovakia's Farkasova wins first gold of Winter Paralympics

Slovakia's Henrieta Farkasova won the first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics on Saturday in women's vision impaired downhill skiing.   Farkasova and her guide Natalia Subrtova finished in 1min 29.72 sec, beating second-placed Millie Knight of Britain and her guide Brett Wild by 0.86 sec.   It was the Slovakian's sixth Paralympic gold in vision impaired skiing. Belgium's Eleonor took the bronze medal, finishing the course in 1min 31.60 sec.   Slovakia's Henrieta Farasova and her g

Olympic GamesMarch 10, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang Paralympic cauldron lighters decided hours before

South Korean wheelchair curler Seo Soon-seok said Saturday he was notified just hours before the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics that he would light the Paralympic cauldron with a fellow curler.    Seo and Kim Eun-jung, a member of the South Korean women's curling team that won silver at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, were the final torchbearers for the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics.The two athletes lit the cauldron together at the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwo

Olympic GamesMarch 10, 2018

S. Korean Paralympic heroes bring national flag into opening ceremony

Eight South Korean athletes, including a handful of Paralympic medalists, carried the national flag into the main stadium for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, during the opening ceremony on Friday.They carried the national flag along the frozen waterway depicted on the stage, with Kim Mi-jeong, an alpine skier with a visual impairment, helped by her guide Kim Nam-hee. (Yonhap) (Yonhap)After the flag was hoisted, the stage was colored with the red and blue of "taeguek," the interlocking t

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

Moon hails PyeongChang Games for making Korean peace a possibility

President Moon Jae-in on Friday extolled the PyeongChang Winter Games for setting the stage for a detente in which "the denuclearization and peace of the Korean Peninsula is becoming a reality."In an address to a reception just hours before the opening of the Paralympics in the eastern alpine resort, Moon also asked participants to warmly welcome North Korea to its first Winter Paralympics.(Yonhap)"South and North Korea agreed to hold a summit in late April and U.S. President Trump promised toda

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Korea Tourism Organization offers VR experience to Paralympic visitors

With the Paralympics kicking off Friday, visitors to South Korea can participate in a number of activities related to the Paralympics in Seoul, the Korea Tourism Organization said Friday. Located near the tourist spot Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, the KTO’s Seoul Center consists of five floors. Each floor offers unique activities, ranging from donning Korean traditional costumes, or hanbok, to creating delicious Korean cuisine. Foreigners can also experience K-pop at the center. A photo booth featuri

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Host country offers far less TV coverage of Paralympics

Despite being the host country of the 2018 Winter Games, South Korea is far behind other countries in its TV coverage of the Paralympic Games, which kicked off on Friday.Three major Korean broadcasting stations, KBS, MBC and SBS, are each expected to spend a total of around 18 to 30 hours on programs devoted to the Paralympic Winter Games.As the 2018 Paralympics will be held for ten days from March 9 to 18, this means that major TV networks in Korea are to air about two hours of Paralympic progr

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Bye, Soohorang -- Bandabi takes over as mascot

Last month, the white tiger Soohorang received global attention for his adorable antics as the PyeongChang Winter Olympics mascot.The position will now be handed over to the black bear Bandabi, the official mascot for the PyeongChang Paralympic Games that run from Friday to March 18. A whimsical video featuring the two mascots was uploaded on to the official PyeongChang Instagram account Wednesday. Soohorang was spotted giving instructions and tips on how to captivate audiences with cute gesture

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

PyeongChang kicks off Paralympic festivities

Still rumbling with excitement from the Winter Games, which wrapped up last month, South Korea’s Gangwon Province is playing host to another multinational sporting event, the PyeongChang Paralympics, which kicked off Friday.The opening ceremony for the games was held at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Friday, attended by athletes and guests from all across the world.  The opening ceremony for the PyeongChang Paralympics is held at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in Gangwon Province on Friday. (Yo

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[Herald Interview] Capturing the unseen: photographer Cho Sei-hon

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics has come and gone with a bang -- Korean athletes reaped a total of 17 medals and were showered with camera flashes at every turn. But the excitement isn’t over yet. Equal in intensity but admittedly smaller in its scale of crowds and media coverage, the Paralympic Games kicked off on Friday.Cho Sei-hon, who has photographed every Paralympics since 2008, said he feels a particular affinity for the event. 　To the photographer’s eyes, Paralympic athletes’ wheelchairs

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Nordic skier to carry S. Korean flag at Paralympics opening ceremony

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- Para Nordic skier Sin Eui-hyun will carry the South Korean national flag at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games on Friday after the host nation and North Korea failed to reach an agreement on a joint parade under a single flag. The local organizing committee unveiled the list of all flagbearers for the opening ceremony for the 12th Winter Paralympics, set to start at 8 p.m. Friday at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwon

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Team Korea House revamps for Paralympics

Team Korea House, a facility that promotes the country and offers support for international athletes and guests, reopened its doors Friday for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics.The house, which received some 200,000 visitors during the Winter Olympics from Feb. 9-25, has renovated its interior for the Paralympics, which run from Friday to March 18. On its first floor, an exhibit titled “Touring Korea in 360 degrees” shows photos and other works promoting Korea’s tourist attractions. An exp

Olympic GamesMarch 9, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Two Koreas not to have joint march at opening ceremony of PyeongChang Winter Paralympics

PYEONGCHANG -- The two Koreas have decided not to have a joint march at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, the South's Korean Paralympic Committee (KPC) said Thursday.South and North Korea previously agreed to have a joint parade at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics at the Olympic Stadium in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, on Friday.  Athletes and officials dine in the athletes' village in Pyeongchang Thursday. (Yonhap)The KPC will later release a

Olympic GamesMarch 8, 2018

S. Korean president confers state decoration on IOC chief

South Korean President Moon Jae-in conferred a state medal on Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), on Thursday for his contributions to the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.Bach was presented with the Cheongryong Medal, the highest decoration in the country's Order of Sport Merit, in a ceremony at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. President Moon Jae-in (right) confers the Cheongryong Medal on IOC chief Thomas Bach at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. (Yonhap)"North K

Olympic GamesMarch 8, 2018