Korean youngster on PGA Tour high on confidence heading into '18

SEONGNAM, South Korea -- South Korean PGA Tour star Kim Si-woo said Thursday he has high confidence heading into the new year, thanks to improved fitness and added distance off the tee.The winner of the 2017 Players Championship, Kim said he's spent much of the winter working on his conditioning so he could better survive the grind that is the PGA Tour."Last winter, I didn't prepare as much as I should have, and it led to some injuries early in the year," Kim said at Namseul Country Club here in

GolfDec. 21, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Korean chef de mission for PyeongChang Olympics pledges best support to athletes

South Korea's chef de mission for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games said Thursday he is ready to give his utmost effort to help the national team finish inside the top four in the medal race.Kim Ji-yong, executive director at Kookmin University in Seoul, was named the chief delegate for South Korea at the PyeongChang Olympics in October. The 44-year-old said he is determined to support athletes at South Korea's first Winter Olympics."It's the first time in 30 years that the Olympic Games

More SportsDec. 21, 2017

Korean UFC fighter vows to win comeback bout after 40-month absence

BUSAN -- South Korean mixed martial arts fighter Kang Kyung-ho said Thursday he is ready to give his all in his comeback bout next year.Kang will have his first bout since September 2014 when he faces Guido Cannetti at the Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night 124 in St. Louis, Missouri, on Jan. 14. He is one of two South Koreans at the UFC competition with Choi Doo-ho, who will take on Jeremy Stephens in a five-round main event.Kang was discharged from his military service earlier this yea

More SportsDec. 20, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Torch for PyeongChang 2018 tours athletes' training center

JINCHEON, South Korea -- The torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games toured the national training center for Olympic athletes on Wednesday, with summer sports stars lending support to the quadrennial competition.The torch relay, which began on Nov. 1, reached the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul in North Chungcheong Province. South Korean fencer Kim Ji-yeon carries the torch for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at the Jincheon National Trai

More SportsDec. 20, 2017

Ex-All-Star outfielder takes biggest pay cut in Korean baseball history

Former All-Star outfielder Lee Yong-kyu has taken the biggest year-to-year pay cut in South Korean professional baseball history.The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization said Wednesday Lee has agreed to a 400 million won ($368,000) deal for the 2018 season.The 32-year-old earned 900 million won in 2017, the final season of his four-year contract. The 500 million won pay cut is the largest in the KBO's 35-year history, surpassing a 450 million won reduction that former LG Twins pitche

BaseballDec. 20, 2017

Tottenham’s Son Heung-min named top S. Korean male footballer of 2017

Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min was named the top South Korean male player of 2017 by the national football governing body on Tuesday.Son earned the honor at the annual Korea Football Association Awards. This is Son’s third KFA Player of the Year accolade after 2013 and 2014. He is now tied with Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yueng for most top player awards.He scored 168 points in a vote by football reporters and the KFA coaches, edging out Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Lee Jae-sung, who

SoccerDec. 19, 2017

Ex-Barca prospect wins best goal of 2017 by Korean fans

Former FC Barcelona prospect Lee Seung-woo's goal against Argentina at the FIFA U-20 World Cup was voted the best goal of the year by local fans, the national football governing body said Tuesday.The Korea Football Association announced the results of its year-end fan polls, and the 19-year-old forward's goal against Argentina earned 4,705 votes, or 23.7 percent of total votes, as the best goal by South Korean national footballers in 2017."I'm very happy to receive this best goal award," Lee sai

SoccerDec. 19, 2017

President Moon still hopeful NK will join Olympics

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that the government is conducting talks with Winter Olympic authorities for North Korea’s participation in the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.“We are working with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee for North Korea’s participation. They are both persistently recommending the North‘s participation, and believe that it is possible,” said Moon, during a meeting with sports news

Olympic GamesDec. 19, 2017

Hockey-playing brothers get confidence boost after facing top dogs

INCHEON -- South Korean hockey-playing brothers Kim Ki-sung and Kim Sang-wook said Tuesday they left a recent international tournament in Moscow more confident athletes, despite getting defeated by the top dogs.The Kims and the rest of the men's national team returned home from the Channel One Cup in the Russian capital that they played last week. The 21st-ranked South Korea fell to No. 1 Canada 4-2, before losing to the fourth-ranked Finland 4-1 and then to No. 3 Sweden 5-1.This was South Korea

More SportsDec. 19, 2017

Naturalized hockey goalie feels 'weird' sensation listening to Canadian anthem at tournament

INCHEON -- A Canadian by birth but South Korean by passport now, hockey goalie Matt Dalton said he experienced "weird" feelings at a recent tournament in Moscow.South Korea faced Canada to open the Channel One Cup in the Russian capital last Wednesday. As is the custom in international hockey, anthems of both countries were played inside the VTB Ice Palace.And this was the first time Dalton, who acquired South Korean citizenship in 2016, heard "O Canada" as a member of the South Korean national

More SportsDec. 19, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Men's hockey coach says 'experience' biggest takeaway from pre-Olympic tournament

INCHEON -- South Korea might have lost all three games at a pre-Olympic men's hockey tournament last week, but head coach Jim Paek said Tuesday not all was lost for his charge.Paek and his charge returned home from Moscow, where they played and lost all three matches at the Channel One Cup. It was the final tournament for South Korea before the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which will be the country's first appearance at the quadrennial event.In Moscow, South Korea, world No. 21, didn't exac

More SportsDec. 19, 2017

Korea to host regional football tournament in 2019

South Korea will host a regional football tournament in 2019 that features both men's and women's national football teams, an official from the national football governing body said Tuesday. The East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship will be held in South Korea in 2019, the Korea Football Association said, following its rotational order of hosting the four-nation tournament. "On rotational basis in the order Japan, South Korea and China, we'll host the 2019 edition of the E-1 F

SoccerDec. 19, 2017

Teen baseball prospect shrugs off murky future

South Korean teenage baseball prospect Bae Ji-hwan is trying his best to shrug off a murky future after his US deal got wiped out over a rules violation.The 18-year-old shortstop out of Kyeongbuk High School in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was the recipient of the 2017 Lee Young-min Batting Award at an annual amateur baseball ceremony Monday evening. The award, named after a former baseball great, is presented to the top-hitting high school player each year.In 27 games in 2017,

BaseballDec. 19, 2017

Korean top pro football scorer poised for transfer to Chinese club Tianjin

Reigning South Korean pro football league scoring champion Johnathan Aparecido da Silva is set to move to Chinese side Tianjin Teda, an official from his current club said Monday.A Suwon Samsung Bluewings official said that the K League Classic club are currently in transfer talks with Tianjin Teda for the Brazilian striker. "Tianjin made an 'irresistible offer,' which is tripling his salary, so we think it's inevitable for Johnathan to move to the Chinese club," the official said on the conditi

SoccerDec. 18, 2017

Ex-Dortmund left back joins Korean club Ulsan

South Korean football club Ulsan Hyundai FC said Monday they've signed former Borussia Dortmund left back Park Joo-ho. The K League Classic club said they've agreed to terms with Park, although his transfer will be fully completed after the 30-year-old finishes a medical test.  "We've acquired the versatile player Park Joo-ho who had stints in Japan, Switzerland and Germany," Ulsan said. "He is a proven veteran who can play as left back and defensive midfielder."Ulsan, which finished fourth in t

SoccerDec. 18, 2017

Arrival of Winter Olympic flame, qualifying for FIFA World Cup voted top sports news stories of 2017

With South Korea gearing up for its first Winter Olympic Games, the arrival of the Olympic flame topped the list of the country's most memorable sports news stories of 2017, as compiled by Yonhap News Agency on Monday.Joining the PyeongChang Winter Games' torch relay at the top was South Korea's qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.In a survey of 58 South Korean newspapers and broadcasters from Dec. 6 to 12, those two stories each earned 388 points to share first place. In this fi

More SportsDec. 18, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Korea loses to Sweden to close out pre-Olympic hockey tournament

South Korea dropped to Sweden 5-1 to close out a pre-Olympic men's hockey tournament in Moscow on Saturday.South Korea, ranked 21st in the world, lost all three games it played at the Channel One Cup at VTB Ice Palace in the Russian capital. World No. 3 Sweden gave South Korea all it could handle, scoring five unanswered goals after giving up the opening goal in the second period.Earlier in the week, South Korea lost to Canada 4-2 and Finland 4-1.Goalie Matt Dalton, with 106 saves in the first t

More SportsDec. 17, 2017

N. Korean footballer hopes to play in S. Korea in future

TOKYO -- Japan-born North Korean footballer Ri Yong-jik said Saturday he hopes to play in South Korea in the future.Ri, 26, played for North Korea at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship in Japan. North Korea finished last in the four-nation tournament with one draw and two losses. In this file photo taken on Dec. 9, 2017, North Korea national football team midfielder Ri Yong-jik (C) makes a header during a match against Japan at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Foo

SoccerDec. 17, 2017

Despite regional title, men's football coach says S. Korea need to improve

South Korea men's football coach Shin Tae-yong said Saturday his team still needs to improve for the 2018 FIFA World Cup even after claiming a regional title in Tokyo.South Korea became the first men's team to successfully defend a title at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship, formerly known as the East Asian Cup, after beating Japan 4-1 on Saturday. South Korea men's football coach Shin Tae-yong (Yonhap)The latest result at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo helped South Korea

SoccerDec. 17, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Speed skater Lee Sang-hwa set for pursuit of 3rd straight Olympic gold

South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa is now officially set for her pursuit of a third straight Olympic gold in the women's 500 meters.The International Skating Union on Friday announced the list of all skaters qualified for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The event quota places were awarded based on results of the season's first four ISU World Cup Speed Skating races.The fourth World Cup race took place last weekend, and Lee ranked second overall behind Nao Kodaira of Japan after those f

Olympic GamesDec. 15, 2017