Twins' Park Byung-ho hits grand slam for first U.S. homer

The Minnesota Twins' Park Byung-ho hit a grand slam for his first home run in the United States on Sunday.Batting sixth, the Korean slugger crushed one off Tampa Bay Ray's right-hander Jake Odorizzi in the first inning of their preseason game in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Twins won the game 5-4.It was the first long ball of the spring for Park, who joined the Twins on a four-year, $12 million deal after they won the posting bid for him with a $12.85 million bid. Park had been one of the most f

BaseballMarch 7, 2016

Familiar faces expected back on top as new pro football season

It is increasingly sounding like a broken record: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will enter the new K League Classic football season as the title favorite.Jeonbuk have won the past two championships in the top-flight South Korean league, and it will likely be much the same story in 2016. If anything, Jeonbuk may have an even better chance to capture the title than the past two years, after making a slew of offseason moves to add depth to an already stacked squad.Their star-studded list of new faces feat

SoccerMarch 7, 2016

Jeonbuk gunning for three-peat after busy winter

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have won South Korea's top-tier football league the last two years, but that clearly didn't satisfy the club. After a busy offseason, Jeonbuk have come back much stronger this time, primed for a three-peat.Over the winter, Jeonbuk signed a slew of local big names for the squad, which some local fans are now even calling "Real Jeonbuk" or "Bayern Jeonbuk," comparing the four-time K League Classic champ to star-studded Spanish giant Real Madrid and German champion Bayern Mun

SoccerMarch 7, 2016

S. Korean Jang Ha-na picks up 2nd LPGA win of season in Singapore

South Korean Jang Ha-na picked up her second LPGA Tour win of the season in Singapore on Sunday.Jang cruised to a four-stroke victory at HSBC Women's Champions at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong Course, after a blistering final round of seven-under 65 took her to 19-under 269 for the tournament. Jang, who won the Coates Golf Championship last month for her maiden victory, is the first LPGA golfer to win twice in 2016, and took home US$225,000 in winner's check.Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand was alon

More SportsMarch 6, 2016

Korean Jang Ha-na picks up 2nd LPGA win of season in Singapore

South Korean Jang Ha-na picked up her second LPGA Tour win of the season in Singapore on Sunday.Jang cruised to a four-stroke victory at HSBC Women's Champions at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong Course, after a blistering final round of seven-under 65 took her to 19-under 269 for the tournament. Jang, who won the Coates Golf Championship last month for her maiden victory, is the first LPGA golfer to win twice in 2016, and took home $225,000 in winner's check.Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand was alone

GolfMarch 6, 2016

Twins' Park Byung-ho picks up first hit, RBI in preseason

Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins picked up his first preseason hit and RBI in Florida on Thursday.Park singled home a run in the bottom of the second inning against the Boston Red Sox starter Rick Porcello. It was Park's second preseason start in as many days.Park went hitless in his next two plate appearances and ended the game 1-for-3. The Twins lost the game 6-5 in Fort Myers.On Wednesday, Park, who signed with the Twins in the offseason, went 0-for-3 against the Red Sox, striking out thr

BaseballMarch 4, 2016

Feisty Korean women keep Olympic football hopes alive

When South Korean women's football head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said last month his team could reach the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this year, local fans praised him for his confidence, but at the same time, there were doubts.Yet after two hard-fought draws against heavy favorites, South Korea still have a shot at qualifying for their first Olympics, as improbable as it seems.South Korea, which have never reached the Summer Games since women's football was first contested in Atla

SoccerMarch 3, 2016

Future still murky for Park Tae-hwan after doping suspension ends

His lengthy doping suspension is now behind him, but South Korean Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan still faces a murky future, with no assurance that he will be eligible for this year's Summer Games.The 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m freestyle was slapped with an 18-month ban last March by FINA, the international swimming governing body. Park tested positive for testosterone, and the suspension began retroactively on Sept. 3, 2014, when FINA collected his samples.The ban ended Wed

Olympic GamesMarch 3, 2016

Park goes hitless, Oh tosses 1 perfect inning in MLB preseason debuts

The Minnesota Twins' Park Byung-ho struck out three times in three at-bats in his first preseason appearance in Major League Baseball in Florida on Wednesday.Elsewhere in the Sunshine State, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Oh Seung-hwan, another South Korean readying for his first big league season, tossed one perfect inning in his U.S. debut.Park, who joined the Twins via posting in December, made his first start for the Twins as a designated hitter batting sixth against the Boston Red Sox in

BaseballMarch 3, 2016

Football chief likely to lead Korean delegation in Rio

Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, is set to be named the head of the South Korean athletic delegation for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a senior football official said on Wednesday.According to the KFA official, who asked not to be named, Chung recently received a request from the Korean Olympic Committee to lead the South Korean squad at the Rio Games and he is "positively" reviewing the offer. A KOC official confirmed Wednesday that South Korea'

SoccerMarch 2, 2016

S. Korea hold N. Korea to 1-1 draw in women's Olympic football qualifier

South Korea held favored North Korea to a 1-1 draw at the final Asian women's Olympic football qualifying tournament Monday in Japan, a decent start to the quest for their maiden Summer Games appearance.At Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka, Jung Seol-bin put the 18th-ranked South Korea on board just past the half-hour mark, but Kim Un-ju scored the 79th-minute equalizer for world No. 6 North Korea to salvage a draw.The result snapped South Korea's losing streak against North Korea at nine. North Kor

SoccerFeb. 29, 2016

Former Olympic champ wants South Korean marathoners to run with 'desperation'

Former Olympic-winning marathoner Hwang Young-cho is still excited when he talks about his gold medal run at the 1992 Summer Olympics Games in Barcelona, Spain.Hwang's victory washed out South Koreans' painful memory that dates back to 1936. At the Berlin Olympics, the late Sohn Kee-chung took gold in marathon but couldn't celebrate his victory because he had to wear the Japanese flag as Korea was under Japan's colonization."Sohn had said he wanted to see a Korean runner celebrating with the Oly

SportsFeb. 29, 2016

Park congratulates athletes for winning medals in IBSF world championships

President Park Geun-hye congratulated three South Korean athletes for winning medals at the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation World Cup, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.The bobsleigh team of Won Yun-jong and Seo Young-woo captured their second career gold medal, while skeleton slider Yun Sung-bin won silver at the eighth and final International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation World Cup in Konigssee, Germany, on Saturday.Park said in a message to the three athletes that she hopes that they

SportsFeb. 29, 2016

Shin Ji-yai wins RACV Ladies Masters in Australia

South Korea's Shin Ji-yai won the Australian RACV Ladies Masters after shooting a 4-under 69 for a three-stroke victory Sunday at Royal Pines Resort.Shin sealed the victory with a 14-under total of 278, edging out England's Holly Clyburn who shot an 11-under total of 281 at the Ladies European Tour event in Cold Coast.The victory made Shin the second South Korean to win the Australian Ladies Masters after Yang Hee-young's triumph in 2006.Shin was the British Open champ in 2008 and 2012 and has w

GolfFeb. 28, 2016

Twins' Park Byung-ho sees 'nothing straight' in 1st live batting practice

After facing live pitching for the first time since joining the Minnesota Twins, South Korean slugger Park Byung-ho said Saturday he didn't see anything straight at the plate.The Twins had their first full workout here in Florida, and Park, who signed with the Twins earlier in the offseason after getting posted by his South Korean club Nexen Heroes, faced actual pitching for the first time since competing at the Premier 12 tournament in November.And his impression: There was "nothing clean.""I a

BaseballFeb. 28, 2016

Son Yeon-jae wins World Cup all-around silver with personal-best score

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae established a personal best to grab silver in the individual all-around at the season's first World Cup stop Saturday in Finland.Son earned a career-high 73.550 points in total from hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon over two days at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Espoo, Finland. She finished runner-up to Aleksandra Soldatova of Russia, who earned 73.750 points from her four events.Son was third after hoop (18.400) and ball (18.350) programs Friday, and

More SportsFeb. 28, 2016

Korean bobsleigh tandem secures season-ending No. 1 ranking

The South Korean bobsleigh team of Won Yun-jong and Seo Young-woo secured a season-ending No. 1 ranking with a victory in Germany on Saturday.Won, the pilot, and Seo, his brakeman, captured their second career gold medal at the eighth and the final International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup of the 2015-2016 season in Konigssee, Germany, with a combined time of 1:39.50 after two runs. Their first World Cup title came in January in Whistler, British Columbia.The South Koreans h

More SportsFeb. 28, 2016

Cardinals' Oh Seung-hwan to stick to trusted arsenal

Having thrown live batting practice for the first time with the St. Louis Cardinals, South Korean reliever Oh Seung-hwan said Thursday he will mostly stick to his tried and tested arsenal in the majors.Oh faced hitters for the first time Wednesday to solid reviews. Infielder Greg Garcia said Oh's ball "was jumping" and the right-hander didn't offer up anything straight.Oh, a lights-out closer in both South Korea and Japan for a decade before joining the Cards this offseason, built his career mos

BaseballFeb. 26, 2016

Korean sports chiefs to meet IOC next week over merger

The South Korean sports ministry plans to meet the International Olympic Committee next week with two leaders of local sports governing bodies at odds over their merger, a government official said Friday.An official at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports told Yonhap News Agency that the ministry is preparing to send its vice minister Kim Chong, along with the Korean Olympic Committee head Kim Jung-haeng and the Korea Council of Sport for All chief Kang Young-joong, to Lausanne, Switzerla

Olympic GamesFeb. 26, 2016