Increase in crowd capacity arrives at opportune moment for baseball, football leagues

As South Korea tries to take baby steps back to normal life during the coronavirus pandemic, fan experience in baseball and football, two of the country's biggest sports, is about to change for the better, too. For one, you can now have the ballpark staple of chicken and beer, colloquially called "chimaek," starting next week, if you're fully vaccinated. The government on Friday unveiled plans for a phased return to normalcy amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those measur

BaseballOct. 29, 2021

KBO postseason to begin Nov. 1; Korean Series set at neutral venue

South Korean baseball's postseason will begin next Monday, two days after the end of the regular season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced its postseason schedule Thursday. It will begin with the wild card game between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds Monday. The higher seed will advance to the next round with a win or a tie, while the lower seed must win two straight games to move on. The wild card winner will then face the No. 3 team from the regular season in the best-of-three first

SportsOct. 28, 2021

S. Korea blanked by US 6-0 in women's football friendly

South Korea lost to the United States 6-0 in the last of their two women's football friendly matches on American soil, unable to put up much of a fight against the top-ranked opponent. Five players had a goal apiece for the US in their resounding victory at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday (local time), with South Korean midfielder getting an own goal late in the first half. South Korea fell to four draws and 11 losses all time against the US. South Korea, ranked 18th, held the

SoccerOct. 27, 2021

Record-breaking pitcher building MVP case in KBO

A record-breaking ace is putting together a solid case for the most valuable player (MVP) award in South Korean baseball this year, with a handful of other contenders looking to make a last-minute push in the final stretch of the regular season. Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda strengthened his candidacy on Sunday by becoming the new single-season strikeout king in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The Cuban ace picked up four strikeouts against the LG Twins to reach 225 for the sea

BaseballOct. 26, 2021

Ulsan Hyundai FC looking to keep 'double' bid alive at FA Cup

Having recently failed in their bid to win three major titles this year, South Korean football club Ulsan Hyundai FC will try to stay in the hunt for two trophies this week. Ulsan, currently in second place in the top-flight K League 1, will host the K League 2 club Jeonnam Dragons in the semifinals of the Korean FA Cup on Wednesday. The kickoff at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is 7 p.m. The other semifinal contest, between Gangwon FC and Daegu FC, wi

SoccerOct. 26, 2021

Seoul to host intl. Olympic meeting in 2022

South Korea will host a meeting of over 200 national Olympic committees in 2022, one year after losing the event to the coronavirus pandemic. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced Monday that Seoul will host the 26th General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) on Oct. 19 and 20 in 2022. The KSOC added it won the right to bring the event home during the 25th General Assembly in Greece this week. Seoul had been chosen as host of the 25th ANOC Ge

Olympic GamesOct. 25, 2021

Woes continue for national short track team with top female skater injured

South Korea's national short track speed skating team has lost a top skater to injuries in the middle of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup season, adding to woes from a recent race-fixing scandal. Choi Min-jeong was hurt in separate collisions during the opening World Cup competition in Beijing on Saturday. She is expected to miss at least the next competition in Japan starting Thursday with knee and ankle injuries. In the women's 1,500m final, Kim Ji-yoo tried to cut inside Choi

More SportsOct. 25, 2021

Bears' ace Ariel Miranda breaks KBO single-season strikeout record

Doosan Bears' left-hander Ariel Miranda is the new single-season strikeout king in South Korean baseball. Miranda got his 224th strikeout of the 2021 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season Sunday against the LG Twins, surpassing a 37-year-old record held by the late Lotte Giants legend Choi Dong-won. Miranda's record-breaking strikeout came against Hong Chang-ki for the second out in the top of the third inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Miranda had thrown 169 1/3 innings before S

BaseballOct. 24, 2021

S. Korean Lim Hee-jeong takes 54-hole lead at home LPGA tournament

After her third consecutive bogey-free round, South Korean tour star Lim Hee-jeong is on the verge of her maiden LPGA victory on home soil. Lim, a four-time Korea LPGA (KLPGA) winner, opened up a four-stroke lead through 54 holes at the BMW Ladies Championship on Saturday in Busan, some 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Lim, who collected seven birdies en route to a 65 at the par-72 LPGA International Busan, leads the 84-player field at 18-under. World No. 2 Ko Jin-young and another KLPGA p

GolfOct. 23, 2021

S. Korea hold mighty US to scoreless draw in women's football friendly

Bending without breaking, South Korea held world No. 1 United States to a scoreless draw in the first of their two women's football friendlies on American soil. Goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul made key saves, and the visitors played some dogged defense against the American onslaught at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday (local time). The draw snapped the US home winning streak at 22 matches. The last time the US had failed to win at home was also against South Korea -- a 1-1

SoccerOct. 22, 2021

No rest for weary Pohang Steelers ahead of crucial K League match

Pohang Steelers will have little time to celebrate a recent victory in a continental tournament, as they gear up for a crucial K League match on Sunday. Pohang knocked out defending champions Ulsan Hyundai FC on penalties to reach the final in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Wednesday. Come Sunday, though, Pohang will find themselves in survival mode in the domestic league, which will return to full action following an international break. Pohang, along with 11 other

SoccerOct. 22, 2021

Deja vu all over again for Ulsan in crushing loss to Pohang at AFC Champions League

Before Ulsan Hyundai FC took on their regional rivals Pohang Steelers for a spot in the final of the top Asian club football tournament Wednesday night, few pundits and oddsmakers had predicted a loss by the mighty K League 1 leaders. After all, Ulsan had much more firepower and boasted superior depth at all positions. They hadn't lost in their past 17 matches in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. And they were also the defending champions. Ulsan had already taken down an

SoccerOct. 21, 2021

Korean American LPGA star driven to win in late father's hometown

As the 2021 LPGA season winds down, Korean American player Danielle Kang finds herself in one city where she wants to win a tournament more than anywhere else. Kang is one of 84 players set to compete at the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan, a coastal city 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, starting Thursday. The 72-hole event is the only LPGA tournament taking place in South Korea this season. Busan is also the hometown of Kang's late father. She was born in San Francisco but spent her early

More SportsOct. 20, 2021

S. Koreans chasing 200th LPGA win on home soil this week

The next South Korean LPGA victory will be the 200th win by a player from this country. And the milestone title could very well come this week on a South Korean course. The BMW Ladies Championship will tee off Thursday at the LPGA International Busan in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It will be the only LPGA tournament to take place in South Korea this year, and also the lone Asian stop during what would normally have been the LPGA's annual swing through the continent. The tourname

More SportsOct. 19, 2021

S. Korean regional derby set in AFC Champions League semifinals

For the second straight year, a South Korean team will vie for the championship trophy at Asia's top club football tournament. We will find out Wednesday night which team that will be. Two K League 1 clubs and regional rivals, Ulsan Hyundai FC and Pohang Steelers, will clash in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Wednesday. The kickoff is 7 p.m. at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul. Ulsan won the 2020 AFC title and will

SoccerOct. 18, 2021

Son Heung-min scores for Tottenham, quells COVID-19 speculation

After being subject to rumors about a possible COVID-19 infection over the weekend, Son Heung-min scored for Tottenham Hotspur in their latest victory. The South Korean star netted his team-leading fourth goal of the Premier League season in their 3-2 win over Newcastle United at St. James' Park in Newcastle, England, on Sunday (local time). Son is tied for fifth overall in the league in goals, three behind co-leaders, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Jamie Vardy of Leicester City. Son's goal w

SoccerOct. 18, 2021

Pohang Steelers reach AFC Champions League semifinals

Pohang Steelers reached the semifinals of the top Asian club football tournament with a 3-0 victory over Nagoya Grampus on Sunday. Lim Sang-hyub grabbed a brace and Lee Seung-mo added another for Pohang's convincing win in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul. This will be Pohang's first trip to the final four at the AFC competition since 2009, which is the last time they won the tournam

SoccerOct. 17, 2021

S. Korea to release promotional tourism video featuring Son Heung-min

A video featuring football star Son Heung-min promoting South Korea as a tourist destination will be unveiled this week, the culture ministry said Sunday. The 80-second video with Son of Tottenham Hotspur is aimed at allowing viewers to feel South Korea's unique and attractive features so as to draw more overseas visitors to the country in the post-pandemic era. The video will be available on Monday on social media channels run by the Korea Tourism Organization, the ministry said, adding that

SoccerOct. 17, 2021

S. Korea not about to change style for key World Cup qualifier vs. Iran

South Korea will face their biggest challenge yet in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, when they visit Iran in their first away match of the ongoing phase. With Iran being the highest-ranked Asian team at No. 22, 14 spots above South Korea, this may call for some adjustments for the Taeguk Warriors. But South Korea head coach Paulo Bento isn‘t about to change the team’s overall approach. “What we know is that it will be a different gam

SoccerOct. 11, 2021

Olympic short track champion cut from nat'l team over controversial text messages

South Korean Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee has been dropped from the national team, the sport’s national federation said Monday, over controversial text messages suggesting a possible race fixing during the 2018 Winter Games on home ice. The Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Shim has been “separated from” the rest of the national team at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul, after the athletes, including Shim h

More SportsOct. 11, 2021