Kwon Soon-woo matches career high in world rankings after second ATP title

South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo has matched his career high in the world rankings following a historic ATP Tour victory over the weekend. Kwon soared 32 spots to reach No. 52 in the latest ATP rankings released Monday. Kwon captured the men's singles title at the Adelaide International 2 on Saturday in Adelaide, Australia. He became the first South Korean player with multiple ATP Tour titles. Kwon had also climbed to No. 52 in November 2021, two months after his maiden ATP title at

More SportsJan. 16, 2023

S. Korean teen pitching prospect signs with Pirates

Shim Jun-seok, a highly touted South Korean teen pitching prospect, has signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates confirmed their agreement with Shim as part of 22 free agent signings Sunday, when the 2023 international signing period opened. The Pirates had a base signing pool of $5,825,500, Shim, a hard-throwing right-hander out of Duksoo High School in Seoul, had skipped last year's rookie draft for the Korea Baseball Organization in hopes of signing with a major league club. The 1

BaseballJan. 16, 2023

Veteran catcher has complete faith in nat'l team pitching staff for WBC

Before he begins the new season back with his old team in the South Korean league in April, veteran catcher Yang Eui-ji will go on a personal redemption tour at the World Baseball Classic in March. Yang, one of the best catchers in Korea Baseball Organization history, was among the no-brainer picks for the big tournament in Tokyo. For the 35-year-old, this could be the last chance to represent the country. For all his success in the KBO, Yang hasn't been nearly as productive in internationa

BaseballJan. 12, 2023

Viktor An seeks to return as coach in Korea

South Korean-born Russian short track speedskating champion Viktor An has applied for a coaching job in Korea for the ice skating team of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, according to local reports on Tuesday. An, previously known as An Hyun-soo, won three gold medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy as part of the Korean national team, but failed to qualify for the next Olympics after suffering an injury in 2008. He acquired Russian citizenship in 2011 to continue skating in Russia after

More SportsJan. 11, 2023

Natl. baseball team for WBC to meet for first time Monday

Players and coaching staff of the national baseball team for this year's World Baseball Classic will hold their first meeting next Monday in Seoul. The Korea Baseball Organization said Wednesday manager Lee Kang-chul and players currently training in South Korea will gather at a Seoul hotel for an orientation and a press conference. They will pick up their uniforms and go over tournament rules, among other things. Players have been asked to arrive by 11 a.m. Monday. Lee and four players, to

BaseballJan. 11, 2023

S. Korea manager wants Pirates 1B Choi Ji-man on board for WBC after surgery

On South Korea's 30-man roster for this year's World Baseball Classic, the status of Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Choi Ji-man is the one big question mark. Following an offseason elbow operation, Choi will need permission from his new club to represent the country at the March tournament. South Korea's manager, Lee Kang-chul, doesn't want to have to resort to plan B. Last week, Lee selected Choi for the WBC, even though Choi is still recovering from a November elbow surge

BaseballJan. 10, 2023

Veteran slugger wants to end intl. career on high note at WBC

SUWON-- Entering his age-37 season, KT Wiz slugger Park Byung-ho sees this year's World Baseball Classic as his final international tournament. And he wants to make the most of the opportunity. "Considering my age and the schedule for upcoming international events, I don't think I will get to play for the country after this," Park said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday. "I don't want to ha

BaseballJan. 9, 2023

Veteran third baseman feeling mixed emotions after third WBC selection

When South Korean third baseman Choi Jeong was chosen for the World Baseball Classic for the first time in 2009, he felt like a kid in a candy store, simply excited to be playing for the country against major league stars. Fourteen years have passed. Choi, a month and a half from his 36th birthday, will be one of South Korea's oldest players at this year's WBC. Choi's selection, announced Wednesday, brought a different set of emotions to the SSG Landers veteran. "Back then, I

BaseballJan. 6, 2023

With injuries behind, left-hander 'can't wait to pitch' in WBC

South Korean pitcher Koo Chang-mo has been as unlucky with injuries as he has been great on the mound. One of the country's top starters in recent years, Koo was forced to miss international action lately because of untimely injuries. The stars have finally aligned for the 25-year-old this year, as Koo is gearing up for the World Baseball Classic in March. In a phone conversation with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday, one day after being named to the 30-man national team, Koo said he is on th

BaseballJan. 6, 2023

Son Heung-min ends drought in Spurs' rout of Crystal Palace

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has found the back of the net for the first time in nine Premier League matches. Son scored off his left foot in the 72nd minute of Spurs' 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in London on Wednesday. Son now has four goals in 16 matches in the league this season. He had scored in only one other match this season, with a hat trick against Leicester City in September. This has been a down season for Son, who tied Mohamed Sal

SoccerJan. 5, 2023

KBO legend Lee Seung-yuop wants focus on players in first season as manager

In the 2023 season in South Korean baseball, perhaps no manager will be under as much spotlight and scrutiny as the Doosan Bears' first-year skipper, Lee Seung-yuop. It comes with the territory of being one of the greatest players in Korea Baseball Organization history. Lee is the league's career home run leader with 467 and also owns the single-season record with 56 from the 2003 season. He is also the only five-time regular season most valuable player in league history. All eyes will

BaseballJan. 4, 2023

Big leaguers expected to join KBO stars for S. Korea at World Baseball Classic

A handful of current and former big leaguers should join domestic league stars when South Korea announces its roster for the World Baseball Classic this week. The Korea Baseball Organization is scheduled to unveil the national team roster for the March 8-21 tournament on Wednesday. As of Tuesday morning, however, it hadn't been determined whether national team manager Lee Kang-chul will announce the 35-man provisional roster or the 30-man final roster on Wednesday, well ahead of the Feb. 7

BaseballJan. 3, 2023

K League career assists leader Yeom Ki-hun back with Suwon Samsung as player-coach

Suwon Samsung Bluewings announced Monday their veteran midfielder Yeom Ki-hun will be back for one more season as a player-coach. Yeom, 39, had told the K League 1 club after the 2022 season that he wanted to retire. Head coach Lee Byung-geun, however, convinced him to return for another go, and Yeom agreed to a new one-year deal as a player-coach. Yeom made his K League debut with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2006 and joined Suwon four years later. Over the past dozen years, the crafty midfielder

SoccerJan. 2, 2023

From WBC to Asian Games, no shortage of intl. sports competitions for S. Korea in 2023

The Beijing Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar bookended the action-packed sporting year of 2022 for South Korea. And there will be no shortage of international events for the country in the new year, with the World Baseball Classic getting the ball rolling in March. It will be followed by the FIFA Women's World Cup in July, with Australia and New Zealand as co-hosts. The 19th Asian Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are scheduled for September in the Chin

SoccerJan. 2, 2023

Sans mask, Son Heung-min can't keep Spurs from home loss to Aston Villa

Playing without his protective mask for the first time since suffering facial injuries in November, Son Heung-min still couldn't guide Tottenham Hotspur past Aston Villa at home on New Year's Day. Son tossed aside his black facial mask midway through the first half of a Premier League match against Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). He appeared visibly frustrated after getting stripped of the ball in the preceding play and played the rest of the

SoccerJan. 2, 2023

Pele tributes from around the world

Pele, the Brazilian soccer legend who died of cancer Wednesday at age 82, is widely regarded as one of the best players in sports history. His numerous accolades include being the only player to win three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and being the most prolific goal-scorer in Brazil’s history by netting 77 goals, a record he shares with Neymar. In 1999, the International Olympic Committee elected Pele the Athlete of the Century, while he was also selected as FIFA Player of the Centur

SoccerDec. 30, 2022

Six time speed skating medalist Lee Seung-hoon targets 2026 Olympics

At an age when most athletes find themselves on the downslope of their careers, South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon, about two months shy of his 35th birthday, isn't letting up. Even with six medals from four Winter Olympic Games under his belt, Lee is still hungry. And if his recent performances are any indication, Lee remains competitive, too. "My goal moving forward is to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics," Lee said through his agency, IHQ, on Thursday, one day after cap

More SportsDec. 30, 2022

Pele, Brazil’s mighty king of ‘beautiful game,’ has died

Pele, the Brazilian king of soccer who won a record three World Cups and became one of the most commanding sports figures of the last century, died Thursday. He was 82. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. The medical center where he had been hospitalized for the last month said he died of multiple organ failure as a result of the cancer. “Pele changed everything. He transformed football into art, entertainment,”

SoccerDec. 30, 2022

Pele, who died at 82, was a sports star and cultural icon

Pele will be famous for 15 centuries. The Brazilian soccer star said Andy Warhol told him that. It was a twist on something else the American artist is widely credited with saying, that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Warhol made the soccer star’s portrait in 1977, and Pele took great pride in turning his sports fame into decades of global affection and renown. For most Brazilians Pele was a cultural and social phenomenon. He was the country&rsquo

SoccerDec. 30, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin eyes July return from elbow surgery

INCHEON -- Toronto Blue Jays starter Ryu Hyun-jin said Thursday he is "right on schedule" in his rehab from his summer elbow operation that had cut his 2022 season short, adding he is targeting a July return to the mound. Ryu left South Korea for the United States on Thursday morning to continue his recovery from Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery he'd had in June this year. The 35-year-old had spent about a month with his family in his native country. In previous offseasons,

BaseballDec. 29, 2022