Korean footballers receive 1.15b won World Cup bonus

Korean footballers received a World Cup bonus despite suffering a group stage exit, the national football governing body said Tuesday.The Korea Football Association said it gave out 1.15 billion won ($1.02 million) to 23 players who participated in the (Yonhap)2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Each player will equally get 50 million won for their performance at the top football tournament. Korea were eliminated in the group stage with one win and two losses. The Taeguk Warriors fell 1-0 to Sweden i

SoccerAug. 7, 2018

Star-crossed fencer finally puts Olympic controversy behind

JINCHEON -- As long as she is competing, Korean epee fencer Shin A-lam will always be associated with an infamous officiating incident at the 2012 London Olympics.More than six years later, the 31-year-old says she has finally put it behind her.To recap: at London 2012, Shin reached the semifinals of the women's individual epee event and pushed the favored Britta Heidemann to sudden-death extra time. Shin and Heidemann exchanged three simultaneous hits while the clock stopped running with one se

SportsAug. 7, 2018

Ryu So-yeon moves to No. 2 in women's golf rankings after British Open

South Korean golfer Ryu So-yeon jumped two spots to reach No. 2 in the latest women's rankings Tuesday, following her third-place finish at the Ricoh Women's British Open.Ryu has now positioned herself right behind Ariya Jutanugarn, who has been No. 1 since last week. Ryu was the top-ranked golfer from June 26 to Oct. 30 in 2017. South Korean golfer Ryu So-yeon (AFP)Ryu finished alone in third place at the Women's British Open at the Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England, on

GolfAug. 7, 2018

Football coach says diversifying scoring options key at Asian Games

　South Korea’s under-23 football coach Kim Hak-bum said Monday diversifying scoring options will be important for his team’s success at the upcoming Asian Games. 　South Korea's 20-man squad for the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games includes five forwards and two of them -- Son Heung-min and Hwang Ui-jo -- are overage players known as wild cards. The men’s football tournament at the Asian Games is open to players aged 23 or under, but teams can field three players who are over that age limit.   Kim H

More SportsAug. 6, 2018

Sabre fencer says men’s team perfectly suited for Asian Games gold

South Korea boasts the world’s No. 1-ranked men‘s sabre fencing team, one that its most senior member, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Kim Jung-hwan, believes has the perfect balance of veteran savvy and youthful exuberance.　Kim and his team won the world title last month in China for South Korea’s second consecutive championship. Kim added an individual gold medal at the same event.　South Korea will be a heavy title favorite in the men‘s sabre team event at the Aug. 18-Sept. 2 Asian Games in Jakar

More SportsAug. 6, 2018

Skillful midfielder eyes gold in her 1st Asian Games

South Korea women's national football team midfielder Lee Min-a said Monday she is eager to win gold at the upcoming Asian Games. 　Lee, who plays for Japan’s INAC Kobe Leonessa, is one of the 20 players who will compete in the women‘s football competition at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in Indonesia. It will be her first appearance at an Asiad since she started representing the country in 2012. South Korea women`s national football team midfielder Lee Min-a (Yonhap)　“It’s always an honor to

More SportsAug. 6, 2018

Surprise Olympic fencing champion excited for Asian Games challenge

JINCHEON, North Chungcheong Province -- Having shocked the world with an Olympic gold medal two years ago, South Korean epee fencer Park Sang-young says he's excited for a fresh challenge at this month's Asian Games.At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, Park, then an unheralded fencer at age 21, rallied from a 14-10 deficit against Geza Imre of Hungary in the final, winning five straight points to capture the least expected of South Korea's nine gold medals.He has since gone through some u

More SportsAug. 6, 2018

[Weekender] Extra information about surfing in Korea

Indoor surfing at Flow House SeoulIf traveling all the way to a beach does not fit your schedule, there is the option of indoor surfing at Flow House Seoul in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Practice balancing on a board at this establishment, which touts itself as a transplanted California beach. Training sessions are available at 350,000 won ($315) per hour for a group of eight to 11. For a group of four, an hour’s flow riding starts at 40,000 won per head without lesson. Flow House Seoul opens dai

More SportsAug. 2, 2018

[Weekender] Surf’s up for Korea

“We met through surfing last year,” a young Korean couple holding on to surfboards said on a sunny day at Hajodae Beach in Yangyang, Gangwon Province. The two had their faces covered in thick sunblock, their bright smiles matching.“We liked surfing so much that we eventually quit our jobs and went down to Jeju Island together to live there for a month surfing,” 27-year-old Um Kyu-ri said, holding hands with her boyfriend Woo Im-kyun, also 27 and a kindred spirit.Surfing is the latest trending su

More SportsAug. 2, 2018

Sports minister visits Asian Games athletes at national training center

JINCHEON -- Sports Minister Do Jong-whan visited South Korean athletes preparing for the Asian Games at the national training venue Thursday.Do met with the athletes in volleyball, judo, boxing, taekwondo and karate at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, about 90 kilometers south of Seoul, and was also briefed on South Korea's preparations for the Aug. 18-Sept. 2 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. (Yonhap)Do also spoke with players on the unified Korean women's baske

More SportsAug. 2, 2018

Kenyan-born marathoner acquires S. Korean citizenship, ineligible for Tokyo 2020

Kenyan-born marathoner Wilson Loyanae Erupe has acquired Korean citizenship, capping off a journey that began more than three years ago.Oh Chang-seok, a former men's national marathon coach who now acts as an agent for Erupe, said the 29-year-old athlete was granted citizenship by the justice ministry on Tuesday. (Yonhap)He failed in his previous bid in April 2016. But he has been competing for a Korean municipal government since June 2015.According to Oh, Erupe will adopt a Korean name, Oh Joo-

More SportsAug. 1, 2018

Veteran shooter enters final Asian Games with renewed determination

Veteran South Korean shooter Jin Jong-oh said Monday he'll enter his fifth and likely last Asian Games next month with a renewed determination.The 38-year-old, one of the most decorated Olympians for South Korea, said it was a conscious decision on his part to keep telling himself that this year's Asiad, scheduled from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, will be his final one."Otherwise, I don't think I would have been pushing myself as hard," Jin said at a press conference i

More SportsJuly 30, 2018

2 Koreans come up short of 1st win on PGA Tour

Two South Korean PGA Tour players have come up short of a breakthrough win in Canada after being in contention for the first three rounds.An Byeong-hun and Kim Meen-whee were each looking for their first PGA title at the RBC Canadian at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, on Sunday (local time) but finished tied for second at 20-under 268, three strokes behind the champion, Dustin Johnson.This was the third career runner-up finish for both Kim and An. Dustin Johnson celebrates his winning

GolfJuly 30, 2018

Korea defends fencing world title in men's team sabre

South Korea defended its world title in the men's team sabre fencing in China on Wednesday.The quartet of Kim Jung-hwan, Gu Bon-gil, Kim Jun-ho and Oh Sang-wuk defeated Italy 45-39 in the final held at the World Fencing Championships in Wuxi, China.South Korea won its first men's sabre team title last year and has remained at the top of the game in 2018.Kim Jung-hwan, the senior member of the team at 34, became a double gold medalist, having earlier won the individual sabre gold medal. He is als

More SportsJuly 25, 2018

Ki Sung-yueng makes 1st appearance for Newcastle United

South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng has made his first appearance for his new Premier League club while wearing his old number.Newcastle United on Monday (local time) posted pictures of Ki in his familiar No. 4, in training with his new teammates.Ki signed a two-year deal with Newcastle on June 29, after a six-year stint with Swansea City. Ki wore No. 4 with his former club, too. In this photo captured from Newcastle United's website, South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng poses in the kit of h

SoccerJuly 24, 2018

Korean men win sabre gold, bronze at fencing worlds

South Korea has picked up gold and bronze medals in the men's individual sabre at the ongoing fencing world championships in China.Kim Jung-hwan defeated Eli Dershwitz of the United States 15-11 in the final at the World Fencing Championships in Wuxi on Sunday.Fellow South Korean Kim Jun-ho took home bronze after losing to Dershwitz in the semifinals. Kim Jung-hwan celebrates his 15-11 victory over Eli Dershwitz of the United States in the final at the World Fencing Championships in Wuxi on Sund

More SportsJuly 23, 2018

Former Spain playmaker Iniesta makes debut in Japan

KOBE, Japan _ Andres Iniesta made his debut in Japan on Sunday for Vissel Kobe but his new team went down 3-0 at home to Shonan Bellmare.Keisuke Saka and Mitsuki Saito scored to give the visitors a 2-0 lead before Iniesta came on as a 59th-minute substitute. But Shunsuke Kikuchi added another in the 67th to put the result beyond doubt. Andres Iniesta (AP)The 34-year-old Iniesta had his first touch in the 62nd minute, as he received a pass inside his own area before dribbling to halfway and passi

SoccerJuly 22, 2018

S. Korean table tennis player grabs 3 int'l titles at home

South Korean table tennis player Jang Woo-jin had himself quite a weekend, grabbing three gold medals at an international tournament that wrapped up on home soil on Sunday.Jang defeated Liang Jingkun of China 4-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3) in the men's singles final for his third gold medal at the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Platinum Korea Open in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul. Jang Woo-jin of South Korea hits a shot during the men's doubles final at the International

More SportsJuly 22, 2018

S. Korean men's doubles ping pong team wins int'l title at home

A South Korean men's doubles ping pong team captured a gold medal at an international tournament on home soil on Sunday.The duo of Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon beat Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong 3-1 (11-8, 19-17, 9-11, 11-9) at the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Platinum Korea Open in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul.(Yonhap)This was Jang's second gold medal of the competition. On Saturday, he teamed up with North Korea's Cha Hyo-sim to capture the mixed d

More SportsJuly 22, 2018

On-base streak ends at 52 games for Rangers' Choo Shin-soo

Choo Shin-soo's on-base streak for the Texas Rangers has come to an end at 52 games.The South Korean designated hitter went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against the Cleveland Indians at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday (local time), as the longest on-base run by an active major leaguer ended. The Rangers were routed 16-3.Choo began his streak on May 13 against the Houston Astros. (Yonhap)During his run, Choo kept his streak alive in his final plate appearance on four occasions --

BaseballJuly 22, 2018