PyeongChang 2018 organizers call test events success, with some work to be done

Organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said Tuesday their Olympic test events over the past 14 months have mostly been a success, though there's still room for improvement before the real competition.PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, and its adjacent sub-Olympic host cities have hosted 25 Olympic and Winter Paralympic test events at 12 venues since February last year. They have covered alpine skiing, ski jumping, short track speed skating, figure skatin

More SportsApril 18, 2017

Thames, Braun power Brewers past struggling Cubs 6-3

CHICAGO -- Eric Thames homered in his club record-tying fifth straight game and the streaking Milwaukee Brewers turned back the Chicago Cubs 6-3 on Monday night.　Milwaukee never trailed after Thames hit an opposite-field homer to snap a 3-3 tie in the third inning. Jeromy Burnitz became the first and last Brewers player to homer in five straight games in August, 1997.　Milwaukee Brewers' Eric Thames, right, celebrates his home run off Chicago Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey, with Ryan Braun, du

BaseballApril 18, 2017

Sanchez, Ozil strike to end Arsenal away woes

MIDDLESBROUGH, England -- Goals from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil ended Arsenal’s run of four successive away defeats with a scratchy 2-1 victory over struggling Middlesbrough in its Premier League clash on Monday.The Gunners’ performance was far from convincing but will still bring some relief to its beleaguered manager Arsene Wenger.There was a period after Alvaro Negredo scored an equalizer when Middlesbrough, who have won only four league games this season, looked capable of going on to cla

SoccerApril 18, 2017

Korea nat'l football team appoints chief assistant coach

The South Korean men's national football team on Tuesday appointed a chief assistant coach to help their beleaguered boss Uli Stielike.The Korea Football Association said Jung Hae-sung will be the top assistant to Stielike and will work with the Taeguk Warriors until the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, should South Korea qualify for football's showpiece event.ung Hae-sung, then-head of the referees committee at the Korea Football Association, speaks at a press conference in Seoul. Jung was named

SoccerApril 18, 2017

Appeals hearing set for May for Pirates’ Kang Jung-ho following DUI conviction

An appeals hearing will be held next month for the beleaguered Pittsburgh Pirates’ infielder Kang Jung-ho following his drunk driving conviction, legal sources said Tuesday.The trial will take place on May 25 at Seoul Central District Court, according to the sources.On March 3, Kang received an eight-month sentence, which was suspended for two years, for leaving the scene of a drunk driving accident in Seoul last December. The court decision followed Kang’s third DUI arrest in South Korea, and h

BaseballApril 18, 2017

Cardinals’ Oh Seung-hwan earns 1st save of season

Oh Seung-hwan of the St. Louis Cardinals has picked up his first save of the 2017 season.Oh gave up an earned run in a shaky ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates but still preserved a 2-1 win at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Monday. St. Louis Cardinals' closer Oh Seung-hwan (AP-Yonhap)Working on a 2-0 lead, Oh got David Freese to fly out to center to open the ninth inning but gave up a single to Josh Bell.Francisco Cervelli grounded out back to the pitcher. An out away from a scoreless in

BaseballApril 18, 2017

Men's nat'l hockey team departs for site of world championship

The South Korean men's hockey team on Tuesday departed for Ukraine, the site of the upcoming world championship, with an eye on a promotion to the sport's highest division next year.Coached by former National Hockey League defenseman Jim Paek, South Korea will compete in the April 22-28 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship Division I Group A, which is the second-highest level of men's international hockey.All games will be held in Kiev.In this file photo taken on March 19, 2017

More SportsApril 18, 2017

US visa in limbo, Pirates' Kang Jung-ho continues to work on his own

With his US visa status in limbo following a drunk driving conviction, Pittsburgh Pirates' infielder Kang Jung-ho continues to train on his own in South Korea while biding his time for legal proceedings to resume, sources said Monday.One source told Yonhap News Agency that Kang is trying to keep a low profile but has been "working hard" to stay in shape. The source said in addition to indoor training, Kang has also been doing batting and field practice.In this file photo taken on March 3, 2017,

BaseballApril 17, 2017

Korea women's football team to play friendly with US in Oct.

The South Korea women's national football team plans to play a friendly against the United States in October, their head coach said Monday.Yoon Duk-yeo said South Korea, ranked No. 17 in the latest FIFA rankings, will play two friendly matches against No. 2 US in October away from home, although the exact dates and locations have yet to be determined.In this file photo taken on April 2, 2017, South Korean women's national football team head coach Yoon Duk-yeo (left) and players pose for a photo

SoccerApril 17, 2017

Korean football club Suwon stuttering from frequent draws

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings have lost only once since the new season started last month, but some angry supporters are already calling for the head coach's resignation.Suwon, the 2016 Korea Football Association Cup winners, are currently 10th in the top-flight K League Classic with five draws and one loss. After their match against Gwangju FC on Sunday ended in a scoreless draw at home, some avid Suwon fans booed their players and lambasted head coach Seo Jung-won for the

SoccerApril 17, 2017

Torch relay for PyeongChang 2018 to start in Nov.

The torch relay for the first Winter Olympics in South Korea will begin on the day when the countdown reaches 100 days, the event's organizers said Monday.The organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said the Olympic flame, as per the 80-year tradition, will be lit in Olympia, Greece, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, on Oct. 24. The flame will travel around Greece for a week and will be handed over to a PyeongChang delegation on Oct. 31 in Athens. Kim Yu-na (L), an honora

More SportsApril 17, 2017

Govt. confirms additional budget for Korean athletes at PyeongChang Olympics

The South Korean government on Monday said it will earmark an additional 2 billion won ($1.75 million) to fund athletes' training and help their preparations for next year's Winter Olympics at home.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the latest financial support is a supplement for this year's budget of 33.7 billion won earmarked for supporting national team athletes for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. The ministry added the supplement will help seven local winter sports

More SportsApril 17, 2017

Rangers' Choo Shin-soo hits 1st home run of '17

Choo Shin-soo of the Texas Rangers has gone deep for the first time in the new season.Choo hit a three-run home run off Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners in the top of the second inning at Safeco Field in Seattle on Sunday (local time), erasing the Rangers' 1-0 deficit.Batting seventh as the designated hitter, Choo added a two-run double in the three-run third inning for a five-RBI day and drew a walk in the eighth inning before getting lifted for pinch runner Delino DeShields.In this Asso

BaseballApril 17, 2017

Son Heung-min ties single-season scoring record for Korean in European football

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min on Saturday drew level with football legend Cha Bum-kun as the highest-scoring South Korean in Europe in a single season with his goal against Bournemouth.Son scored a goal in Tottenham's 4-0 win over Bournemouth in their English Premier League match at White Hart Lane in London. The 24-year-old scored his team's second goal in the 19th minute. Following Harry Kane's slick back heel, he dribbled past Bournemouth defenders and fired a shot low between Artu

SoccerApril 16, 2017

S. Korean women's football team returns home from N. Korea after Asian Cup qualifying success

The South Korean women's national football team returned home on Thursday from North Korea after qualifying for the top Asian competition next year.South Korea, led by head coach Yoon Duk-yeo, won the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup Group B qualifying tournament in Pyongyang, where they competed against North Korea, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and India. The South Korean women's national football team poses for a group photo at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on April 13, 2017. (Yo

SoccerApril 14, 2017

Korea to face Uruguay, Senegal in friendlies ahead of U-20 World Cup

The South Korea men's national under-20 football team will play friendly matches against Uruguay and Senegal before entering the World Cup at home, the sport's national governing body said Friday. The Korea Football Association said South Korea's U-20 team will face Uruguay on May 11 and take on Senegal three days later. The venues for two matches will be announced later, it added. In this file photo taken on April 10, 2017, South Korea's men's under-20 football team renews its resolution for vi

SoccerApril 14, 2017

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin falls to Cubs for 2nd loss of season

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has suffered his second loss of the season in as many starts, unable to get past the Chicago Cubs.Ryu was touched for a pair of home runs while allowing four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Thursday (local time), as the Cubs went on to win 4-0.In this Associated Press photo, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin winds up during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago on April 13, 2017. (

BaseballApril 14, 2017

Usually reliable, Cards' Oh Seung-hwan shaky early in '17 with iffy slider

Small sample size alert: but Oh Seung-hwan, the usually reliable South Korean reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals, has been hit hard so far in the 2017 season because, as analytics shows, his slider hasn't been nearly as effective as last year.Oh recorded 19 saves and posted a 1.92 ERA last season, after replacing Trevor Rosenthal as the Cards' closer in July. The all-time saves leader in the Korea Baseball Organization struck out 103 batters in 79 2/3 innings, and the opponents batted .190 aga

BaseballApril 13, 2017

Suwon beat Eastern SC to move atop group at AFC Champions League

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings trounced Eastern SC 5-0 on Wednesday to move atop Group G standings at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.Ko Seung-beom and Johnathan each grabbed a brace for their hosts at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, and led the K League Classic side to their second victory in Group G, which also features Guangzhou Evergrande of China and Kawasaki Frontale of Japan.Suwon, led by head coach Seo Jung-won, now have eight po

SoccerApril 13, 2017

Cardinals' Oh Seung-hwan tosses 1st scoreless outing of season

St. Louis Cardinals' closer Oh Seung-hwan has finally tossed his first scoreless outing of the season.Oh threw one shutout inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Wednesday (local time), as the Cardinals won the game 6-1.Oh took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with his team up 6-1, a day after giving up a run on two doubles in one inning of work.St. Louis Cardinals' closer Oh Seung-hwan (AP-Yonhap)Daniel Murphy, who drove in that run with a double the prev

BaseballApril 13, 2017