NC Dinos advance in Korean baseball postseason

BUSAN  -- The NC Dinos defeated the Lotte Giants 9-0 to advance to the next round in the Korea Basebal Organization (KBO) postseason on Sunday.The Dinos put up a seven-spot in the top fifth to break open the scoreless game at Sajik Stadium in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to beat the Giants three games to two in the best-of-five first round showdown.NC starter Eric Hacker tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, and the Dinos will now face the Doosan Bears in the best-of-five

BaseballOct. 16, 2017

Newest LPGA winner undecided on immediate future in US tour

INCHEON -- After earning her LPGA Tour card with a victory on Sunday, South Korean golfer Ko Jin-young remains undecided on her immediate future.Ko captured the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf & Resort, near Incheon International Airport, with a tournament record score of 19-under 269. The 2016 Korea LPGA Player of the Year, who has nine wins on the home tour, is now eligilble to play full-time on the LPGA Tour.Ko is the fifth KLPGA player to win this tournamen

SportsOct. 16, 2017

Federer beats great rival Nadal to win Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer got one over his old rival Rafael Nadal to win the Shanghai Masters 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in a showdown between the two best players on the planet.It was a 94th title for the Swiss legend, drawing him level with the great Ivan Lendl, and closes the gap on world number one Nadal at the top of the rankings as the season reaches its conclusion.In-form Nadal was ahead in their overall record down the years, with 23 wins to Federer's 14, but he was up against it almost right away. Number t

More SportsOct. 15, 2017

S. Korea football coach vows to rebound from disappointing performances

South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong vowed Sunday to rebound from disappointing performances in recent weeks, saying his side will show the utmost effort toward a turnaround starting next month. Shin returned home after two friendly matches in Europe and inspections of possible training bases for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.He also interviewed candidates for foreign assistant and fitness coach positions for the men's national team in Germany.  Shin Tae-yong (Yonhap)Shin was supposed to talk with

SoccerOct. 15, 2017

S. Korean tour star captures 1st LPGA victory at home

South Korean tour star Ko Jin-young captured her first LPGA title at home on Sunday, overcoming a gaffe on the green to edge out two fellow South Koreans in a nail-biting finish.Ko carded a four-under 68 in the final round to take the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf & Resort near Incheon International Airport.At a tournament-record score of 19-under 269, Ko defeated LPGA rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun by two. Chun In-gee, the 2016 LPGA Rookie of the Year, was

GolfOct. 15, 2017

Korea women's football coach says US friendlies will offer chance to grow

South Korea women's football coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Sunday that upcoming friendly matches with the United States will give them a chance to grow. The Taeguk Ladies have departed for the US for two friendly matches later this month. The South Koreans will first meet the Americans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Oct. 20 (Korean time), and the two sides will square off again three days later at Sahlen's Stadium in Cary, North Carolina.  Yoon Duk-yeo (Yonhap)Yoon called up 23 playe

SoccerOct. 15, 2017

Lotte Giants defeat NC Dinos to stay alive in baseball postseason

The Lotte Giants stayed alive in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason on Friday with a 7-1 victory over the NC Dinos on the road.Son A-seop smacked a pair of home runs, while Lee Dae-ho and Jeon Jun-woo also hit one homer apiece at Masan Stadium in Changwon, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, as the Giants evened their best-of-five first round series at two games apiece. Lotte Giants outfielder Son A-seop (Yonhap)Lotte starter Josh Lindblom struck out 11 in eight dominant innings, hol

BaseballOct. 14, 2017

Underachieving baseball club welcomes new manager

Underachieving baseball club LG Twins welcomed their new manager on Friday.Ryu Joong-il was formally introduced as the new skipper for the Seoul-based club in the Korea Baseball Organization. The Twins first announced their hiring of Ryu on Oct. 3, hours after their regular season finale.Ryu signed a three-year deal worth 2.1 billion won ($1.87 million), including 600 million won in signing bonus.For the first time in his baseball career, Ryu, 54, is donning a uniform belonging to a club other t

BaseballOct. 13, 2017

Olympic gold-winning archer to receive natl. sports award

Archer Choi Mi-sun will receive a national award for her sporting excellence, South Korea's sports ministry said Friday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Choi, who helped the South Korean women's archery team win a gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, was named one of the nine recipients of the 55th Korea Sports Awards. The 21-year-old won the presidential honor in the sports competition category, it said. The annual sports awards honor those who have contributed to sp

More SportsOct. 13, 2017

Iceland's 1st LPGA player comes long way to Korea -- literally

INCHEON -- To play in South Korea for the first time in her young career this week, Olafia Kristinsdottir, the first LPGA Tour player from Iceland, had to come a long way.The rookie was a last-minute addition to the field of 78 at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship, which began at Sky 72 Golf & Resort's Ocean Course, near Incheon International Airport, on Thursday. An extra spot opened up for her when Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand pulled out, and Kristinsdottir only found out over the weekend -

GolfOct. 13, 2017

Korean midfielder completes move to UAE's Shabab Al Ahli Club

South Korean attacking midfielder Moon Chang-jin has completed his move to the United Arab Emirates side Shabab Al Ahli Club, his South Korean club announced Friday. Gangwon FC in the top-flight K League Classic said Moon has terminated the contract with them by mutual consent and joined Al Ahli. The terms of his contract with the Dubai-based club weren't revealed. Gangwon said Al Ahli has been trying to acquire Moon since last month for their new season and the 24-year-old player recently told

SoccerOct. 13, 2017

[Graphic News] FIFA pledges 'transparent' 2026 World Cup bid

　FIFA has promised to deliver a "transparent" bidding process for the 2026 World Cup after the controversy surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar.　The successful bid will have to "formally commit to conducting their activities based on sustainable event management principles and to respecting international human rights and labor standards" laid out by the United Nations.　A joint United States-Mexico-Canada bid is the favorite to host the 2026 tournament, wi

SoccerOct. 12, 2017

Former champion regaining confidence after solid 1st round at Korean LPGA stop

South Korean golfer Amy Yang said Thursday she feels her confidence is coming back after a solid start to the LPGA stop in her native country.Yang carded a two-under 70 to position herself among the top 15 in the early part of the opening round of the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. Held on Ocean Course at SKy 72 Golf & Resort, this is the lone LPGA held in South Korea each year.Yang is the 2013 champion of this event, and at the 2015 tournament, she tied the LPGA record for consecutive birdies

GolfOct. 12, 2017

Korea to see steep fall in Oct. FIFA rankings

South Korea will likely see a steep fall in the FIFA rankings for this month following their disappointing losses in recent friendly matches. The ranking prognosis tool offered in the FIFA website on Thursday showed South Korea are projected to mark 588 points for the October list, down 71 points from September when they were ranked at 51st in the world. Although final October FIFA rankings will be revealed on Monday, the Taeguk Warriors are destined to see a big drop from their current position

SoccerOct. 12, 2017

Football icon Park Ji-sung named 1st torchbearer for PyeongChang 2018

South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung has been named the first torchbearer for the first Winter Olympics to take place in his native country.The organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said Wednesday that Park, the former men's national team captain, will carry the torch first after the lighting and handover ceremonies in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Oct. 24. In this file photo taken on Aug. 4, 2017, Park Ji-sung (C), former South Korean men`s national football captain, is fl

More SportsOct. 12, 2017

Free agent hurler Oh Seung-hwan 'open to all possibilities'

INCHEON -- South Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan said Wednesday he's "open to all possibilities" as he is set to hit free agency this offseason.Oh returned home Wednesday after completing his second major league season with the St. Louis Cardinals. The right-hander went 1-6 with a 4.10 ERA and 20 saves in 62 appearances and lost his closer job in the midseason. This was a down year compared to 2016, when he was 6-3 with 19 saves and a 1.92 ERA and became the go-to ninth-inning guy for the Cardinals

BaseballOct. 12, 2017

Homers galore as NC Dinos push Lotte Giants to baseball postseason brink

CHANGWON, South Korea -- The NC Dinos beat up on the Lotte Giants 13-6 on Wednesday to move within a victory of advancing to the next round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason.The Dinos belted out five home runs in their home park, Masan Stadium in Changwon, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to take a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five opening round. They pounded out 13 hits in the game.Game 4 is back at Masan Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.Third baseman No Jin-hyuk, who came off the

BaseballOct. 12, 2017

PyeongChang Olympics ticket sales get icy reception

Less than four months remain until the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, but sluggish ticket sales and lodging reservations could spell trouble for Korea’s first Winter Games.The organizing committee for the Winter Games on Wednesday released preliminary numbers for ticket sales, which showed that 30.3 percent of 1.07 million tickets have been sold so far. About 20.7 percent of 760,000 tickets released to the Korean general public have been sold, while 59.7 percent o

Olympic GamesOct. 11, 2017

Korean football coach vows to make Vietnam top team in Southeast Asia

Vietnam national football team's new South Korean head coach Park Hang-seo on Wednesday vowed to make his side the best among teams in Southeast Asia. Park officially signed a contract with the Vietnam Football Federation in Hanoi to lead its men's national team until 2020. Vietnamese media reported that Park will receive an annual salary of between $240,000 and $260,000."I will give all of my knowledge, philosophy and passion to Vietnam that selected me," Park said at a press conference. "I pur

SoccerOct. 11, 2017