Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin pleased with breaking pitches in long toss

Recovering from a May shoulder operation that ended his 2015 season before it began, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin said Thursday he was pleased with breaking pitches that he threw in his long toss.At Camelback Ranch, the site of the Dodgers' spring training in Arizona, Ryu said he mixed in curves, changeups and sliders with his fastball."The spins weren't too bad," Ryu said with a smile in the club house while icing down the surgically repaired left shoulder.Ryu, who didn't throw

BaseballFeb. 26, 2016

Suwon to utilize players from their youth academy

Suwon Samsung Bluewings were once one of the richest football clubs in South Korea being supported by local tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. But after Cheil Worldwide Inc., Samsung Group's advertisement arm, took over the club in 2014, spending went down as the management went for efficiency. Having a small budget means that Suwon face hurdles in bringing in high-profile footballers from outside and keeping star players on the squad. Despite finishing second in the country's top division K Lea

SoccerFeb. 25, 2016

Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo to enjoy his first MLB season

In South Korea, Kim Hyun-soo is called "Hitting Machine" for his consistent high-level performance in batting. The Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB), which Kim recently joined under a two-year contract worth $7 million, now also introduce the 28-year-old outfielder with the nickname "Machine" on their website. Kim, who posted his best power numbers at 28 home runs and 121 RBIs with the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) last year, said Wednesday he wants to keep

BaseballFeb. 25, 2016

Korea women's football can qualify for Olympics: coach

The South Korean women's football team last year had a historic run at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, reaching the round of 16 for the first time.The ladies now aim for another milestone: going to this year's Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.Since women's football was first staged at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games, South Korea have never appeared at the Olympics. But head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Wednesday there is a good possibility that the drought will end this year.South Korea wil

SoccerFeb. 24, 2016

Jeonbuk seeks best combination of new and old players

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors last season had no problem defending their title in the top-tier K League Classic as they clinched their fourth domestic league title with two matches to spare.But that doesn't mean the club had a satisfying season as Jeonbuk was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League after losing to Japanese side Gamba Osaka.The result in Asia's premier club tournament prompted Jeonbuk to recruit a slew of local big names for the squad t

SoccerFeb. 24, 2016

After strong rookie year, Pirates' Kang Jung-ho says he has more

By most accounts, South Korean infielder Kang Jung-ho had a successful rookie year with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015.The first position player to jump from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to Major League Baseball (MLB), Kang batted.287/.355/.461 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs, en route to finishing third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Had it not been for a season-ending leg injury in September, Kang, the NL Rookie of the Month for July, surely would have put up better n

BaseballFeb. 24, 2016

Rangers' Choo Shin-soo proud to see more Koreans in majors

It wasn't all that long ago that Choo Shin-soo, a veteran entering his ninth full season in the majors, was the only South Korean on baseball's ultimate stage.Things have changed dramatically over the past few years. And in 2016, aside from the Texas Rangers' outfielder, there could be as many as seven other South Koreans on big league rosters at the start of the season.As the Rangers' position players reported to spring training here in Arizona on Tuesday, Choo said he was proud to see so many

BaseballFeb. 24, 2016

Host Korea to miss 2 Olympic champs at sprint speed skating worlds

South Korea will be without its two Olympic champions when it hosts speed skating's premier sprint competition this weekend.The International Skating Union (ISU) World Sprint Speed Skating Championships will be held Saturday and Sunday at Taereung International Skating Rink inside the National Training Center in Seoul.Skaters will each enter two 500 m races and two 1,000 m races across those two days. Their times will be converted to points using the samalog system, in which the points for the 5

Olympic GamesFeb. 24, 2016

Olympic football draws set for April

The draws for the football tournaments at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be held in April, the sport's national governing body said Tuesday.The Korea Football Association (KFA) said that FIFA, the sport's top governing body, decided to have the Olympic football draws at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the host city of the 31st Olympic Games, at 10:30 p.m. on April 14 (Korean time).South Korea have qualified for the men's event, and the women's team will have their qualifying tournament l

Olympic GamesFeb. 23, 2016

Korean Go player confident of beating Google's AI

Lee Se-dol, a top-class Go player from South Korea, is known for his exceptional strategy and skills at the ancient board game, but at the same time, he is also known for his provocative comments toward his opponents.That hasn't changed even though this time, his challenger isn't human.Lee, who has won 18 world titles, said on Monday that he is confident of beating Google's artificial intelligence (AI) program AlphaGo. In a five-game match set for next month, the 32-year-old South Korean expects

More SportsFeb. 23, 2016

Korean slugger Lee Dae-ho focused only on winning big league job

Having signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners, South Korean slugger Lee Dae-ho has an option to return to Asia -- where he built an All-Star career -- if his U.S. stint doesn't pan out.The 33-year-old first baseman/designated hitter said Monday, however, he is only focused on winning a big league job."I am only thinking about making the 25-man roster," Lee said after his practice here in Arizona, where the Mariners will have their first full workout Thursday. "I don't want to have

BaseballFeb. 23, 2016

World No. 2 Park In-bee set for LPGA return in Thailand

World No. 2 Park In-bee is set to return to LPGA Tour action this week in Thailand, having recovered from a back injury sustained at the start of the season.The 27-year-old South Korean will compete at the Honda LPGA Thailand at Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course in Chonburi, starting Thursday.This is the fourth LPGA event of the season, but Park's first full competition. In the last week of January, she withdrew from the season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic after one round with a bac

GolfFeb. 23, 2016

Rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae wins top nat'l sports award

Rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae was honored with the top national sports award Monday.The 21-year-old was the recipient of the grand prize at the 62nd annual Korean Olympic Committee Awards. This was Son's first such award.Son wasn't at the award ceremony in Seoul as she competed at the Moscow Grand Prix in Russia over the weekend. At the event organized by the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, Son took four medals, including silver in the individual all-around on Saturday. She also won a si

More SportsFeb. 22, 2016

Korean stars looking to win big league jobs at spring training

Four South Koreans with All-Star resumes in Asia will look to win their first Major League Baseball jobs as spring training gets underway this week.The 30 big league clubs have different reporting dates, with pitchers and catchers reporting a few days before position players.They will all have their first full workouts later this week.It was a hectic offseason for South Korean stars who made their jumps from the domestic Korea Baseball Organization or the Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.Fo

BaseballFeb. 22, 2016

Korean clubs on crash course with Chinese rivals at AFC Champions League

Four South Korean football teams start Asia's premier club competition this week with big-spending Chinese clubs presenting obstacles on their road to the title.With 3.5 slots at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League allocated to the top-tier K League Classic, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings, the top two clubs in the league, have directly advanced to the group stage. FC Seoul joined them as the winner of the domestic Football Association (FA) Cup.The Pohang S

SoccerFeb. 22, 2016

K.J. Choi posts second top-five finish on PGA Tour in Feb.

South Korean veteran Choi Kyoung-ju tied for fifth at the Northern Trust Open on the PGA Tour in California on Sunday, the second time he's ranked in the top five on the tour this month.Choi, better known as K.J. Choi in the United States, started out hot before fading away to a two-under 69 in the final round at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, and ended at 12-under 272 for the tournament, tied with Marc Leishman in fifth.Choi, an eight-time PGA Tour winner, is still looki

GolfFeb. 22, 2016

Korean-Japanese Haru Nomura beats Lydia Ko for maiden U.S. LPGA win

Japan's Haru Nomura, an ethnic Korean, won on the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour for the first time on Sunday.Nomura won the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open in Grange, South Australia at 16-under 272, beating reigning champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand by three strokes.Nomura, who was born to a Japanese father and a Korean mother, has competed in the LPGA since 2011.Born in Japan and based in Hawaii, she moved to South Korea at the age of 7 and attended middle and high school in

GolfFeb. 21, 2016

Rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae wins Grand Prix silver

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae has claimed a silver medal at the Grand Prix in Russia, showing promise for a podium finish at the upcoming Olympics.Son earned a combined 72.964 points in the individual all-around event at the Grand Prix 2016 in Moscow on Saturday (local time).Russia's Aleksandra Soldatova won gold with 74.066 points. The bronze went to Arina Averina of Russia, who scored 72.682 points.By apparatus, Son earned 18.366 points in clubs, 18.166 points in ribbon, 18.066 po

More SportsFeb. 21, 2016

Korea unveil women's football roster for Olympic qualifiers

South Korea on Friday announced their women's football squad for the Asian qualifiers of the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, led by Chelsea Ladies FC attacker Ji So-yun.The Korea Football Association unveiled the 20-woman squad for the final regional qualification round for the Summer Games in Rio. The qualification starts Feb. 29 and ends March 9 in Osaka, Japan. South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Australia, China and Vietnam will play each other once, and the top two teams will earn their ticket

SoccerFeb. 19, 2016

Norwegian-Korean skier wins his second gold medal at Winter Youth Olympics

Cross-country skier Kim Magnus took his second gold medal at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, after winning the men's 10-kilometer free cross-country skiing on Thursday.Kim, born to a Norwegian father and a Korean mother and competing under the South Korean flag, finished in 23 minutes, 4.8 seconds to beat Vebjoern Hegdal of Norway by 16 seconds at Birkebeineren Cross-Country Stadium. Russia's Igor Fedotov was third after finishing the course in 23:59.2.This was Kim's third

More SportsFeb. 19, 2016