Korean football chief pledges nat'l team support to reach 2018 World Cup knockout stage

South Korean football chief Chung Mong-kyu said Tuesday he is ready to give the best support for the men's national team to reach the knockout stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In his new year message, Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu said that the national football governing body will not hesitate to support the national team at international competitions. "Last year, the KFA received heavy criticism and we understand people's demand and judgment," Chung said. "We'll do our b

SoccerJan. 2, 2018

Pro football league commissioner vows to entertain more fans in 2018

South Korea's pro football league commissioner said Tuesday that the K League will be ready to entertain more fans with exciting matches in the new year.In his message for 2018, Kwon Oh-gap said he wants to see the K League take a big leap this year, during which the FIFA World Cup will take place. "The league, clubs and players will do their best to make fans happy with exciting matches," Kwon said. "We're also going to raise the quality of K League coverage." Kwon said the league will keep wor

SoccerJan. 2, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Olympic committee welcomes North’s proposal to participate

South Korea’s Winter Olympic Games organizing committee on Monday said they “welcome” North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s proposal to send a delegation to the upcoming Olympics set to be held in PyeongChang next month. A torchbearer holds up the Olympic torch during a relay for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games on Monday at Homigot Sunrise Square, North Gyeongsang Province. YonhapLee Hee-beom, president and CEO of the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee, said that the committee “welcomes the No

Olympic GamesJan. 1, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang Olympics torch relay wraps up its 2017 schedule in Daegu

The torch relay for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics wrapped up its 2017 campaign in Daegu on Sunday.The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) said the Olympic torch relay had its final relay of 2017 in Daegu, 300 kilometers south of Seoul. "Under the slogan 'Let Everyone Shine,' the Olympic torch relay carried the flame that was lit at Temple of Hera in Greece on Oct. 24 and came to South Korea on Nov. 1," POCOG said. "The Olympic flame has

Olympic GamesJan. 1, 2018

Korean pro football club Gangwon interested in signing Crystal Palace midfielder

The president of South Korean pro football club Gangwon said Friday they're currently working to sign midfielder Lee Chung-yong from English Premier League side Crystal Palace.Gangwon CEO Cho Tae-yong said his club's winter transfer target includes Lee and other players in Europe."It's true that we're working to sign Lee," Cho said to Yonhap News Agency in a phone interview. "We can't reveal any details, but we'll work hard to land the deal." Lee, 29, is contracted through June 2018 with Palace,

SoccerDec. 29, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Korean alpine snowboarder determined to meet home fans' expectations in PyeongChang

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- South Korean alpine snowboarder Lee Sang-ho said Friday he will try to meet home fans' expectations at the upcoming Winter Olympics. Lee is one of South Korea's medal hopefuls at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. He had impressive results earlier this year, winning two gold medals at the Asian Winter Games in February. The 22-year-old also became the first South Korean to win an International Ski Federation World Cup silver medal in March after finishing second at

More SportsDec. 29, 2017

Korean football club Jeju sign ex-Brazil U-20 forward Roberson

South Korean pro football club Jeju United said Friday they've signed Brazilian forward Roberson de Arruda Alves. The K League Classic club didn't release the details of Roberson's contract, but confirmed that the 28-year-old will play for them next year. Roberson, as he is commonly known, played for the Brazilian under-20 national team in 2008 and had two goals in three matches, according to Jeju.  This photo, provided by South Korean football club Jeju United on Dec. 29, 2017, shows the club`s

SoccerDec. 29, 2017

Korean infielder Choi Ji-man receives offers from 13 MLB clubs

South Korean free agent infielder Choi Ji-man has received offers from 13 Major League Baseball clubs, his agency said Friday. GSM said the clubs that made offers to the 26-year-old include Choi's former clubs the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels. The others are the Tampa Bay Rays, the Oakland Athletics, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Miami Marlins, the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Baltimore Orioles, the Minnesota Twins, the Atlanta Braves, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago

BaseballDec. 29, 2017

Baseball league MVP re-signs with original club for 1 more year

Reigning South Korean pro baseball league MVP Yang Hyeon-jong will stay with his original club for one more season after he inked a lucrative contract on Thursday.The free agent pitcher re-signed with the Kia Tigers after he agreed to a one-year deal that will give him 2.3 billion won (US$ 2.14 million) next season. Yang is now the second-highest paid player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) behind Lotte Giants slugger Lee Dae-ho, who receives an annual salary of 2.5 billion won.Yang this

BaseballDec. 28, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang Olympics organizers to raise funds to offset carbon emissions

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee said Thursday it will launch a fundraising campaign next month as part of its efforts to offset carbon emissions from the preparation and operation of the Feb. 9-25 sports event.The committee asked participating athletes, spectators, countries, institutions and organizations to take part in the campaign, which will run from Monday through Feb. 25.According to the committee, the amount of greenhouse gases to be emitted from

More SportsDec. 28, 2017

Korean men's golf tour to offer record purse in 2018 season

South Korea's top men's golf tour will offer the highest purse yet next year.The Korea Professional Golfers' Association announced Wednesday that its top-tier Korean Tour will have a record total prize money of 14.1 billion won ($13.1 million), with 17 tournaments lined up for next season."The number of tournaments in 2018 is down from this year's 19, but the total purse has increased 150 million won from this year,"said Yang Hwee-boo, who heads the KPGA. "Many sponsors have helped us to develop

GolfDec. 27, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang 2018 unveils podiums, costumes for victory ceremonies

South Korean organizers have unveiled the podiums, costumes, music and gifts for medalists on Wednesday that will be used during the victory ceremonies at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games next year. The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games said the victory ceremonies will be staged under the concept of "convergence and unique."The POCOG said designs of the victory ceremony items are based on the idea of combining aspects of Western an

More SportsDec. 27, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Philippine-based S. Korean entertainer determined to promote home country, PyeongChang 2018

In South Korea he is virtually unknown, but in the Philippines he is a national star.Bang Hyun-sung, better known as Ryan Bang, is a South Korean entertainer who made his name in the Philippines. He is currently a host of popular Philippines variety show "It's Show Time."Since he made his debut in the Philippine entertainment industry in 2010, Bang has visited South Korea on various occasions, but this month he had an unforgettable experience in his homeland: appearing on South Korea's top enter

Olympic GamesDec. 26, 2017

S. Korea selects director to handle nat'l football team coach hirings

South Korea's national football governing body on Tuesday appointed a director to handle national team coach hirings. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said its board members approved former Hong Kong national team boss Kim Pan-gon to lead the newly created national football team coach appointment committee. "Although Kim didn't have an outstanding career as a player, he has proven his ability as a coach and administrator," the KFA said."His appointment is meaningful because it shows those wh

SoccerDec. 26, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Ticket sales for PyeongChang 2018 surpass 60 pct

Ticket sales for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics have surpassed 60 percent, the event‘s organizers said Sunday.　There are 47 days left until the Feb. 9 opening ceremony of the first Winter Games in South Korea. And as of Thursday, 655,000 tickets had been sold, or 61 percent of the organizers’ target of 1.07 million tickets.　The quadrennial competition will run through Feb. 25, with athletes competing for a record 102 gold medals across seven sports and 15 disciplines.　Sales for the tickets

More SportsDec. 24, 2017

Rangers' Choo Shin-soo looks forward to facing two-way Japanese

South Korea and Japan have long been archrivals in sports, and the history isn't lost on Texas Rangers' Korean outfielder Choo Shin-soo.The Rangers' division rivals, Los Angeles Angels, acquired two-way Japanese star Shohei Ohtani this offseason. An MVP-winning pitcher who also displayed impressive power at the plate in Japan, Ohtani has been among the most talked-about players before even playing his first Major League Baseball (MLB) game.The two clubs will meet each other 19 times in the Ameri

SportsDec. 22, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Torch relay for PyeongChang 2018 to resume Friday following deadly fire

The torch relay for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics will resume on Saturday, after Friday's leg was canceled following a deadly fire in its scheduled stop.PyeongChang's organizing committee earlier scrapped its torch relay in Jecheon, some 170 kilometers southeast of Seoul, for Friday, after a massive fire engulfed a commercial building in the city on Thursday and claimed 29 lives.The Olympic flame was supposed to pass through Jecheon but PyeongChang canceled the relay and festivities out o

More SportsDec. 22, 2017

Reigning pro football champions own league's largest payroll: data

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the reigning South Korean professional football champions, also have the league's largest payroll and own its five highest-paid players, data showed Friday.The K League, operators of the professional competitions, released salary data on 11 clubs in the first-division K League Classic, excluding the military club Sangju Sangmu.The data showed that K League Classic players made 196.5 million won ($180,780) each on average.For South Korean players, the average annual salary

SoccerDec. 22, 2017

Ex-big leaguer Kim Hyun-soo hoping for another crack at MLB

South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo has returned home after a largely unsuccessful stint in Major League Baseball, but the 29-year-old hasn't entirely given up on his big league dreams.Kim recently signed a four-year deal worth 11.5 billion won ($10.7 million) with the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization and was formally introduced by the Seoul-based club on Thursday.He split the past two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and the Philadelphia Phillies, batting .273 with seven home runs

BaseballDec. 21, 2017

Ex-big leaguer Kim Hyun-soo formally introduced by new Korean club

Former major league outfielder Kim Hyun-soo was formally introduced by his new South Korean club on Thursday, two days after signing one of the largest free agent contracts in the history of professional baseball here.Kim donned the pinstriped jersey of the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization at his introductory press conference in Seoul. On Tuesday, the Twins, based in the nation's capital, announced their signing of the 29-year-old to a four-year deal worth 11.5 billion won ($10.7 mill

BaseballDec. 21, 2017