Seoul mayor proposes reviving Seoul-Pyongyang football exchanges

MUJU -- Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon proposed reviving a Seoul-Pyongyang football exchange program to a senior North Korean sports official on Sunday.Park broached the idea at a luncheon meeting with Chang Ung, the lone North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee, at the club house of a country club in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul.Muju is hosting the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships, and Chang joined a delegation of the North Korea-led International Tae

SoccerJune 25, 2017

Sprinter Kim Kuk-young breaks nat'l 100m record

South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young broke his own national record in the men's 100m dash on Sunday.Kim clocked at 10.13 seconds in the 100m semifinals at the KBS Cup National Athletics Championships in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province. He bettered his own previous record, set in July 2015 at the Summer Universiade, by 0.03 second.South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young crosses the finish line first in the men`s 100m final at the National Sports Festival in Asan, South Chungcheong Province on Oct. 9, 2016

More SportsJune 25, 2017

[Eye Plus] Fast and furious -- into the world of car racing

Roaring at the starting line, dozens of racing cars blast off at Everland Speedway in Yongin, south of Seoul. It is Sunday, July 18, of the final round of CJ Korea Express Super Race Championship, one of biggest events for Korean racers and their fans. Motor racing is experiencing a boom in South Korea recently. According to Korea Automobile Racing Association, the number of people with circuit driver’s license doubled from about 800 at the end of 2015 to 1,600 last year. Fans who enjoy the thri

More SportsJune 25, 2017

Veteran taekwondo practitioner still driven, enjoys competition

MUJU -- At age 29, South Korean taekwondo practitioner Oh Hye-ri isn't exactly a young pup in a sport that requires endurance, strength and speed, not to mention an array of other skills.But Oh, who will be competing in the women's under-73kg at the World Taekwondo Federation World Championships here, still has a youthful exuberance about her, and it is with unbridled joy that she steps up to the mat. South Korean taekwondo practitioner Oh Hye-ri (left) puts on an earpiece with some help from fe

More SportsJune 25, 2017

Park Tae-hwan picks up 2nd victory in world championships tune-up

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has picked up his second victory in his world championships tune-up.Park captured the 200m freestyle title at the Sette Colli Trophy at Stadio del Nuoto in Rome on Saturday (local time), with a time of 1:46.89.Nicholas Grainger of Britain was in second place with 1:48.30, followed by another British swimmer, Duncan Scott.South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan speaks at a press conference in Seoul on June 16, 2017. (Yonhap)Park is gearing up for the FINA World Aquat

SportsJune 25, 2017

Taekwondo's world championships open with preliminary action

MUJU -- The biennial world championships in taekwondo opened here on Saturday with early round action in the men's and women's lightest weight classes.T1 Arena inside Taekwondowon in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, will host the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships through Friday. The opening day of action featured preliminary rounds in the women's under-46kg and men's under-54kg.The semifinals and finals for these two classes are scheduled for Sunday.South Korean Presid

More SportsJune 25, 2017

Olympic taekwondo stars eager to renew rivalry at world championships

MUJU -- Two taekwondo stars from last year's Summer Olympics said Saturday they look forward to renewing their rivalry at the ongoing world championships in South Korea.Lee Dae-hoon of South Korea, the bronze medalist in the men's 68kg at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and Ahmad Abughaush of Jordan, who beat Lee in the quarterfinals en route to winning the gold medal, will be on a collision course to meet in the final at the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships. Ahmad Abughaush

More SportsJune 25, 2017

World taekwondo chief hopeful of further exchanges with N. Korea

MUJU -- The South Korean leader of global taekwondo said Saturday he was hopeful the two Koreas would continue to engage in exchange programs following their historic meeting here.Choue Chung-won, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, has welcomed a delegation from the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation to the WTF World Taekwondo Championships. A demonstration team from the ITF, made up of 12 North Koreans, will have a performance during the competition's opening ceremony

More SportsJune 25, 2017

Park Tae-hwan wins 400m freestyle title in tune-up meet for worlds

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has claimed an encouraging victory in a tune-up meet for next month's world championships.Park won the 400m freestyle title at the Sette Colli Trophy at Stadio del Nuoto in Rome on Friday (local time), with a time of 3:44.54.This is the fifth-best 400m freestyle time of 2017. Park also owns the fourth-fastest time in the distance this year with 3:44.38. South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan listens to a question during a press conference in Seoul on June 16, 2017.

More SportsJune 25, 2017

Athletes welcome new rules in taekwondo

MUJU -- Taekwondo's top athletes said Saturday they welcome new scoring rules designed to make their sport more exciting and spectator-friendly.The World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships started its seven-day run earlier in the day at Taekwondowon in Muju, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul. This is also the first world championships since the WTF adopted a series of rule changes at its General Assembly in November. Athletes and officials participating in the World Taekwondo F

More SportsJune 25, 2017

Venue rearranged for N. Korean taekwondo demonstration team's S. Korean performance

A venue for an upcoming performance in South Korea by a North Korean taekwondo demonstration team was rearranged Thursday.The North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation will bring a demonstration team to South Korea for the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul. The ITF's team is scheduled to perform during the event's opening and closing ceremonies on Saturday and June 30, respectively, with a WTF team.The WTF first arranged

More SportsJune 22, 2017

Cardinals' Oh Seung-hwan earns 16th save of season

Oh Seung-hwan of the St. Louis Cardinals has saved his 16th game of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies.Oh gave up a run in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Wednesday (local time), but managed to collect a save with the Cards' 7-6 victory. South Korean reliever Oh Seung-hwan of the St. Louis Cardinals (Yonhap)The right-hander, however, saw his ERA go up from 3.38 to 3.55.Oh went to the mound after the Cards made the score 7-5 in

BaseballJune 22, 2017

Stumbling blocks ahead for Koreas to assemble joint women's hockey team at PyeongChang 2018

South Korea will have plenty of stumbling blocks ahead in its bid to assemble a unified, all-Korean women's hockey team at next year's PyeongChang Winter Olympics.New Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan told PyeongChang's organizing committee on Tuesday that he'll have discussions with the International Olympic Committee on putting together a joint Korean squad for the competition.Promoting peace has long been one of the goals of PyeongChang 2018, the first Winter Games to take place in South Korea. Wi

More SportsJune 22, 2017

S. Korea to seek NK participation in weightlifting competition

South Korea will seek North Korea's participation in a continental weightlifting competition to be held this fall south of the border, Seoul's sports minister said Wednesday.Do Jong-hwan, the minister of culture, sports and tourism, said South Korea will try to bring North Korean athletes on board for the 2017 Asian Cup and Interclub Weightlifting Championship starting on Oct. 18 in Yanggu, some 175 kilometers east of Seoul. In this file photo taken on Sept. 25, 2014, North Korean weightlifter K

More SportsJune 21, 2017

Korean midfielder Kim Bo-kyung set to join Japan's Kashiwa Reysol

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Kim Bo-kyung is set to join Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol, his South Korean football club said Wednesday.Jeonbuk said they've received an offer from Kashiwa, and both sides are currently closing the deal on the 27-year-old's transfer.If completed, Kim will leave the K League Classic club after playing one-and-a-half seasons. He was pivotal in Jeonbuk's Asian Football Confederation Champions League title run last year, playing all 13 matches at the continental clu

SoccerJune 21, 2017

New sports minister visits PyeongChang to check on Olympic prep

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new sports minister traveled to PyeongChang on Tuesday to check on preparations for the country's first Winter Olympics next year.Do Jong-hwan, newly appointed minister of culture, sports and tourism, visited the headquarters of the 2018 Winter Olympics organizing committee in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, in Gangwon Province.The PyeongChang Winters Games will be held from Feb. 9-25, 2018.After getting briefed on the preparatio

More SportsJune 20, 2017

KTO to promote 2018 PyeongChang Olympics in New York

South Korea's state-run tourism promotion body said Tuesday it will hold various events in New York this week to promote the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The Korea Tourism Organization and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the Korea, PyeongChang Festival in New York from Thursday to Saturday. This undated photo provided by the Korea Tourism Organization on June 20, 2017, shows Korea, PyeongChang Festival in New York under way in the United States in 2015. (Yonhap)The eve

More SportsJune 20, 2017

Korean striker signs with Japan's Gamba Osaka

Seongnam FC striker Hwang Ui-jo will move to Japan's Gamba Osaka, his second division South Korean club announced Tuesday. The K League Challenge side said they've reached an agreement with Gamba on Hwang's transfer. The 24-year-old striker will join the J League outfit on a two-year contract, but the clubs didn't announce the financial details of the deal. In this file photo taken on Sept. 2, 2016, South Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo speaks to reporters after national football team training at the

SoccerJune 20, 2017