[PyeongChang 2018] Korean-American snowboarder feels no pressure from her star status in PyeongChang

Korean-American snowboarding sensation Chloe Kim said Thursday that she tries not to feel pressure from the huge expectations on her at the PyeongChang Olympics.Kim is one of the most anticipated athletes here at the PyeongChang Winter Games, due to her extraordinary performances in international competitions. The 16-year-old, born to Korean immigrants in the United States, currently tops International Ski Federation Snowboard half-pipe rankings.Kim said she knows she is going to be watched by m

More SportsFeb. 8, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Tips from a first-timer in South Korea: Travel essentials for the Winter Olympics

With just a couple days to go until the 2018 Winter Olympics, those of you visiting South Korea for the first time should get acquainted with some travel essentials. Especially if your to-do list doesn’t include getting hypothermia or ending up in Pyongyang.Slovakian athletes in Korea (Yonhap)Ditch what you already knowAs foreign visitors, there will always be the inevitability of language barriers and cultural differences, as well as getting hopelessly lost. But eventually, you’ll find that get

Olympic GamesFeb. 8, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Short track preferred winter spectator sport for a date

The majority of respondents from a matchmaking survey would choose short track as the sport to watch on a date during the PyeongChang Winter Games.According to a survey from matchmaking service Duo, 51.6 percent of unmarried respondents chose short track as the sport they would most like to watch with a significant other. A total 163 men and 172 women participated in the survey.Figure skating took second place with 23.3 percent, and speedskating followed at 8.7 percent. Skiing scored only 0.3 pe

More SportsFeb. 8, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] North Korea’s female cheering squad: who are they?

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- North Korea’s 229-woman cheerleading squad arrived in South Korea on Wednesday as part of the country’s delegation to the PyeongChang Olympic Games, sparking interest in the group’s activities for the next few weeks.　Referred to as Kim Jong-un’s “army of beauties,” the cheering squad is expected to root for its own national athletes, and possibly the South Korean national team. And it seems very likely the North’s cheerleaders will garner more attention than its

North KoreaFeb. 8, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang's oldest athlete aims at eight Olympic appearances

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- Finnish curler Tomi Rantamaeki has one big title even before the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics kicks off.The 49-year-old from Finland's mixed double curling team is the oldest athlete competing at the Feb. 9-25 Olympic Games, if Canadian reserve curler Cheryl Bernard, who is 51, does not compete.He is 34 years older than the youngest Olympian -- 15-year-old Chinese halfpipe skier Wu Meng.But Rantamaeki feels still young and is ready to enjoy his first Olympics in his

More SportsFeb. 8, 2018

[Photo News] PETA stages anti-fur protest at PyeongChang ahead of Winter Olympics

ANTI-FUR PROTEST AT OLYMPICS -- Animal rights activist Ashley Fruno stages an anti-fur protest Tuesday while wearing just a bikini at subzero temperatures in PyeongChang, ahead of the Winter Games that kick off Friday. As a representative of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, Fruno called for an end to the fur trade, saying that fur has no place at an event like the Olympics. (Yonhap-AFP) ANTI-FUR PROTEST AT OLYMPICS -- Animal rights activist Ashley Fruno stages an anti-fur pr

More SportsFeb. 8, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Hockey coach tells bench players to hold heads high, work for ice time

More than a dozen players will be on the outside looking in whenever the joint Korean women's hockey team plays at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. And given the way head coach Sarah Murray has been running her practices, the starting lineup appears to be all but set.There are 23 South Koreans and 12 North Koreans on Murray's team. Under the terms set by the International Olympic Committee, the unified team is allowed to carry those 35 players -- all other teams have 23 -- but the actual game ro

More SportsFeb. 8, 2018

Trump wishes Korea well for PyeongChang Olympics

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Wednesday wished South Korea well for the PyeongChang Olympics, saying it will be a chance to showcase the "great nation.""Best wishes to the Republic of Korea on hosting the Olympics! What a wonderful opportunity to show everyone that you are a truly GREAT NATION!" he tweeted.The message was accompanied by a video clip of the president speaking before the National Assembly in Seoul in November.In the clip, Trump talks about the devastation brought by t

More SportsFeb. 8, 2018

Koreas' joint march at Olympics opening to be 'very emotional': IOC president

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday predicted that the upcoming joint march by the two Koreas at the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Games will be an emotional embodiment of the Olympic spirit of peace.Last month, the IOC and the two Koreas reached an agreement over North Korea's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics, which open Friday. Athletes of the two Koreas will enter PyeongChang Olympic Stadium behind the Korean Unification Flag, an image of the Korean

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Joint Korean hockey coach credits NK assistant for building chemistry

GANGNEUNG -- It all seemed like a disaster in the making when the South Korean women's ice hockey team of 23 was asked to play with 12 North Koreans for the PyeongChang Olympics -- only about two weeks before its first game, too.But to hear its head coach Sarah Murray tell it, the team chemistry has been excellent, thanks to some help from an unexpected source.The 12 North Koreans joined Murray's South Korean team on Jan. 25, and their own coach, Pak Chol-ho, traveled with them. The Internationa

More SportsFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] K-pop concerts across Korea during Olympics

From Friday to Feb. 25, Korea will be home to the fiercest competition in the winter sports world. But while taking it all in, it is recommended to make time to enjoy other aspects of the country, like the nation’s famed K-pop.Here are some of the K-pop events that will take place around Korea during the Olympic period. For tickets, visit Interpark. Wooyoung’s 1st solo concert - Feb. 9 (JYP Entertainment)A member of K-pop boy band 2PM, Wooyoung has also been building a significant career as a so

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Free tickets offered to volunteers to offset low turnout

The PyeongChang Organizing Committee is offering free admission for Olympic volunteers to some ski jumping and curling events of the Winter Games, in what appears to be a move to fill stadiums amid worries of low turnout due to the frigid weather.  Olympic volunteers at the Olympic village in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. YonhapAccording to an internal notice that the committee sent to some 17,000 volunteers based near the venues, which was obtained by The Korea Herald, the volunteers are able

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Public shows mixed reaction to ‘PyeongChang Dessert’

Just two days ahead of the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics, the “PyeongChang Dessert,” also called “a dish of hope,” became the center of attention online Wednesday. The dessert is to be served at the Olympic opening ceremony reception dinner for South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his counterparts from across the world. The light blue dessert takes on the shape of the Korean Peninsula, with the Demilitarized Zone partially covered by white chocolate drizzled on top. It is reportedly

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Officials of N. Korean taekwondo body arrive in Seoul

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- High-ranking officials from Pyongyang's taekwondo governing body arrived in South Korea on Wednesday, as two Koreas prepare for joint taekwondo demonstrations to celebrate the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Six officials from the International Taekwondo Federation, including President Ri Yong-son, arrived at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul, via a flight from Beijing."I hope our taekwondo demonstration team's visit will lend hands to the success of the PyeongCh

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Medical team issues guidelines to prevent norovirus infection

The South Korean Olympic medical team on Wednesday sent out guidelines to national athletes to prevent norovirus infections.Some 1,200 security workers for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics are currently sequestered in their rooms to be tested for the contagious virus after 41 guards suffering diarrhea and vomiting tested positive. The virus causes stomach pain and diarrhea.The security personnel have been replaced by some 900 soldiers.The Korea Sport & Olympic Committee said the guidelines were s

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Hockey player says training with N. Koreans has been problem free

Randi Heesoo Griffin, a naturalized half-Korean forward for the joint Korean women's hockey team, said Wednesday training with North Koreans for the PyeongChang Olympics has gone well.Griffin, a former Harvard forward who has been with the national team since 2015, said there has been no disputes with North Koreans inside the team. The International Olympic Committee has allowed the Koreas to put 35 players on their joint entry -- 23 South Koreans and 12 North Koreans -- though the game roster o

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Short tracker Hwang Dae-heon prepares for Korea's 1st medal on ice

GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- South Korean short tracker Hwang Dae-heon, who will participate in four events for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, said Wednesday he aims to have a "no-regret" race for his specialty -- the men's 1,500 meters slated for this weekend.Hwang's teammate Seo Yi-ra and Lim Hyo-jun will also compete in the race, but the 18-year-old skater currently stands as world No. 1 in the distance. The men's 1,500m will take place a day after PyeongChang's opening ceremony, and Hwang is

More SportsFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Archery trio to carry flame to PyeongChang as final torchbearers

Rio 2016 Olympic Champions Ki Bo-bae, Chang Hye-jin and Choi Mi-sun are the final torchbearers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics to carry the flame to the opening ceremony of the main venue in PyeongChang. From left: South Korean archers Chang Hye-jin, Ki Bo-bae and Choi Mi-sun. Photo: Coca-ColaThe flame is scheduled to arrive at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Friday, 101 days after it first came to South Korea as part of the torch relay in the run-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.Ki

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] N. Korea dominates pre-Olympic media coverage at Pyeongchang

A giant national flag. A smiling angel. The dictator's pop diva. And a dozen women added to a South Korean hockey team to form the Koreas' first-ever joint Olympic team.Yes, North Korea is again stealing the show in pre-Olympic media coverage, although none of its 22 athletes is expected to win a medal at the South Korean Winter Games. The athletes hardly speak but still gather a crowd of journalists and curious South Korean spectators whenever they attend a training session, the only chance for

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Medal hopeful Lee Sang-hwa joins teammates at Gangneung Oval

Lee Sang-hwa, considered a medal favorite for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, kicked off her training in the Olympic city of Gangneung on Tuesday.The skater, who returned home from Germany on Monday, participated in the national team's training session at Gangneung Oval, after moving into the Gangneung Olympic Village earlier in the day. The venue will host speed skating events for the 2018 Winter Games.Lee's archrival, Nao Kodaira of Japan, also trained at a similar time on the rink. For the t

More SportsFeb. 6, 2018