Military exemption not on player's mind ahead of potential Olympic opportunity

South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon is training with the senior national team this week in preparation for World Cup qualifying matches later this month, but he could be forgiven for thinking instead about the Tokyo Olympics in July. As a 26-year-old, Kwon wouldn't normally be eligible for the Olympic tournament, which is limited to players 23 or younger, though the age limit has been extended to 24 this year after the Tokyo Games got postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bu

SoccerJune 2, 2021

Speedsters on Olympic football team embracing roster competition

Lee Dong-jun and Um Won-sang, both participating in the South Korean men's Olympic team training camp, bring much of the same qualities to the table. As two of the fastest players on the 28-man roster, the two forwards can keep opponents on their toes, find open space behind the defense and provide instant spark off the bench in a tight match. When head coach Kim Hak-bum sets his final, 18-man team for the Tokyo Olympics, he may opt to take only one of Lee and Um, given their overlapping skill

SoccerJune 2, 2021

S. Korean golfers looking to make it 3 in a row at US Women's Open

South Korean female golfers will try to crash the party at the American national championship for the third straight year this week. The US Women's Open, the second major tournament of the LPGA season, will tee off in San Francisco on Thursday, with 20 South Koreans in action. The country has produced the past two champions and three of the last four: Park Sung-hyun (2017), Lee Jeong-eun (2019) and Kim A-lim (2020). The Lake Course at the Olympic Club, the par-71 layout at 6,547 yards, will p

GolfJune 2, 2021

KBO to ease distancing rules for fans at stadiums

The top professional baseball league on Monday announced plans to relax social distancing rules on seating arrangements at stadiums during the COVID-19 pandemic, no longer requiring fans traveling in groups to put unoccupied seats between members of their parties. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said up to four fans will be allowed to sit in a row if they're attending games as a group. The KBO said it reached the decision following consultations with national health authorities and the sp

BaseballMay 31, 2021

Struggling Jeonbuk keep sliding down K League tables

Could this spell the end of the greatest dynasty in South Korean football? Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, four-time defending K League 1 champions, have tumbled down from first to fourth in the tables over the past two weeks. They were still at the top before facing rivals Ulsan Hyundai FC on May 19. They dropped that match 4-2 and slipped to second place. And their winless skid reached seven matches Saturday, following a 1-1 draw with Incheon United. Only an injury time goal by Takahiro Kunimoto sa

SoccerMay 31, 2021

Early-season woes continue for 2 S. Korean left-handers in MLB

For the second time this season, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals and Yang Hyeon-jong of the Texas Rangers made a start on the same day. And for the second time, neither of them notched a victory. In fact, both South Korean left-handers suffered their third consecutive loss. Kim gave up four runs on nine hits in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sunday (local time). The Cardinals spotted him a 2-0 lead after two, but Kim couldn't keep his team

BaseballMay 31, 2021

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun takes 3rd straight loss vs. lowly Diamondbacks

Unable to make an early lead stand against the worst club in the National League, Kim Kwang-hyun of the St. Louis Cardinals has now lost three consecutive starts. Kim was saddled with the loss as the Cardinals fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 at Chase Field in Phoenix on Sunday (local time). Kim allowed four runs on a season-worst nine hits. He struck out one and walked one, as he dropped to 1-3 for the year and saw his ERA rise from 3.09 to 3.65. Kim's only victory of the year came on Apr

BaseballMay 31, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong yanked early in loss to Mariners

Another start, another short day on the mound for Yang Hyeon-jong. The Texas Rangers' South Korean starter lasted only three innings in a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Sunday (local time). The left-hander allowed three runs -- one unearned -- on five hits and a walk, as he dropped to 0-3 for the year. His ERA went up from 5.47 to 5.53. Yang struck out two and needed a whopping 70 pitches -- 49 strikes -- to retire nine batters, including 26 in the opening inni

BaseballMay 31, 2021

Unlikely Opening Day starter emerges as ace for Eagles

While many other clubs sent out their foreign aces to begin the new Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season last month, the Hanwha Eagles gave the symbolic Opening Day assignment to homegrown right-hander Kim Min-woo. It was a surprising choice, given that the Eagles' new American lefty, Ryan Carpenter, appeared to have earned that opportunity with an excellent preseason. In 2020, Kim flashed promise that made him the No. 1 overall pick at the 2014 draft, but finished with a pedestrian 5-10 re

BaseballMay 30, 2021

Chungcheong area hopes to jointly host World University Games in 2027

The Chungcheong region has officially launched a promotion team in hopes of hosting the 2027 World University Games. 　 Daejeon, Sejong, and North and South Chungcheong provinces founded an organization to bid for the games in 2027, and North Chungcheong Gov. Lee Si-jong has been tapped as its leader. Experts who were part of the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee will also be on the 2027 World University Games promotion team, Lee said in a press release. The four communities

More SportsMay 28, 2021

Crafty midfielder rejoins K League club after European stint

After more than four years away, South Korean international midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon is rejoining his old club. Suwon Samsung Bluewings of the K League 1 announced Wednesday they've reacquired the 26-year-old midfielder. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kwon made his professional debut for Suwon in 2013 and spent four seasons there, notching 22 goals and nine assists in 109 matches at all competitions. He embarked on a European career in January 2017, first signing with the French club D

SoccerMay 26, 2021

Son Heung-min, rising stars to represent S. Korea at World Cup qualifiers

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min and a group of youngsters will look to take South Korea to the next phase in the ongoing qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Son was one of 28 players named to the South Korean men's national team Monday by head coach Paulo Bento, ahead of three World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for June. South Korea will serve as the centralized venue for all remaining Group H matches in the second round qualifying action for Asian countries. Teams last p

SoccerMay 24, 2021

Tottenham's Son Heung-min ends 6th Premier League season with career-best 17 goals

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has wrapped up his most successful Premier League campaign to date. Son got the start and was taken out during second-half injury time, as Tottenham beat Leicester City 4-2 at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, on Sunday (local time). It provided a positive conclusion to an otherwise disappointing season for Tottenham, which finished in seventh place on 62 points and settled for the third-tier continental competition, UEFA Europa Confe

SoccerMay 24, 2021

Team loss aside, duel against compatriot a fun experience for Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin

It was a battle within a battle, as Toronto Blue Jays' ace Ryu Hyun-jin went up against fellow South Korean, Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman Choi Ji-man, for the first time in their major league careers. The Rays took the game 6-4 at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday (local time). But the all-Korean pitcher-batter duel between Ryu and Choi, both graduates of Dongsan High School in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, ended in the pitcher's favor. Ryu got Choi to ground out in his first

BaseballMay 24, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin takes no-decision vs. Rays, gives up double to fellow Korean

Pitching into the seventh inning for the third straight start wasn't enough for Ryu Hyun-jin to stop the Toronto Blue Jays' slide. The South Korean left-hander settled for a no-decision after holding the Tampa Bay Rays to two runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Sunday (local time). Ryu struck out seven and walked one, before leaving the game with two outs in the seventh and the score knotted at 2-2. His ERA rose slightly from 2.51 to 2.53, while his reco

BaseballMay 24, 2021

Rangers' Yang Hyeon-jong earns spot in starting rotation

However temporary it may be, South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong has earned a place in the starting rotation for the Texas Rangers. In a pregame interview before hosting the New York Yankees in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday (local time), Rangers manager Chris Woodward said Yang, who started the previous day in place of the injured Kohei Arihara, will get more looks in the rotation. "As of right now, I'd say Yang probably stays in that spot," Woodward said in a Zoom call. "We're

BaseballMay 21, 2021

S. Korea to face Ghana in Olympic men's football tuneups

The South Korean men's Olympic football team will host Ghana twice next month for tuneup matches ahead of the Tokyo Summer Games. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Friday the two countries will play at 7 p.m. on June 12 and again at 8 p.m. on June 15. Both matches will be played at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. These will be the first official matches for South Korea's under-23 Olympic team since November last year, when they faced Egypt and Brazil in a friendly

SoccerMay 21, 2021

Rays' Choi Ji-man stays hot, reaches base 4 times in rout

After missing the first quarter of the 2021 season, Tampa Bay Rays' first baseman Choi Ji-man is playing as though he wants to make up for all that lost time. The South Korean infielder went 1-for-3 with three walks and an RBI in a 10-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Thursday (local time). Choi missed the first 41 games of the season following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on March 31. He made his season debut last Sunday and went 3-for-4

BaseballMay 21, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin tosses gem in win over Red Sox

A month after getting knocked around against the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays' ace Ryu Hyun-jin got his revenge with a gem against one of the best offenses in baseball. Ryu threw seven shutout innings to help the Jays to an 8-0 victory at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, on Tuesday (local time). Ryu improved to 4-2 for the season and lowered his ERA from 2.95 to 2.51. Ryu allowed only four hits and struck out seven to match his season high. This was Ryu's second start against the Red Sox

BaseballMay 19, 2021

Natl. women's hockey team player tests positive for COVID-19

One member of the South Korean national women's hockey team tested positive for the new coronavirus Tuesday, a local government said. The athlete, in her 20s, received the positive result while training in Jecheon, about 170 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the city government. On Monday, she got tested for the virus after being notified that she had come into contact with a COVID-19 patient living in Goyang, just north of Seoul. The national team has been training at a hockey stad

More SportsMay 18, 2021