[PyeongChang 2018] Korean ice dancers want to make country proud at PyeongChang 2018

They were both born in the United States, but Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin will get to represent host South Korea as its lone ice dancing tandem at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics next February.And they'd like nothing more than to make South Korea proud.Min was born in California to Korean parents and has dual Korean and US citizenship. Gamelin, a Massachusetts-native, obtained his Korean passport in July. They had been skating together internationally as a South Korean team since 2015,

More SportsNov. 30, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Self-confidence key for leader in Olympic figure skating qualification

Even after taking the lead in the national Olympic qualification, South Korean male figure skater Lee June-hyoung is still fighting self-doubt.Lee won the first qualifying competition for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in July. The second leg is scheduled for this weekend at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, and at a pre-competition press conference at the rink, Lee said he just has to trust himself more."Because I did so well in the first qualification event, I do feel the pressure that I have t

More SportsNov. 30, 2017

Reigning baseball champs re-sign 3 foreign players

The reigning South Korean baseball champions Kia Tigers announced Thursday they've re-signed all three of their foreign players from the 2017 season.The Korea Baseball Organization club will bring back 20-game winner Hector Noesi for his third season. The Tigers also retained left-hander Pat Dean and outfielder Roger Bernadina for their second season in South Korea.Noesi signed for $2 million, up $300,000 in 2017. Dean will earn $925,000, a raise of $225,000, and Bernadina agreed to a $1.1 milli

BaseballNov. 30, 2017

All-Star catcher looking to help young pitchers develop at new club

DAEGU  -- South Korean All-Star catcher Kang Min-ho said Thursday he'll look to help with the development of young pitchers at his new club.Kang was formally introduced as the new catcher for the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization. The Lions announced their signing of the big free agent prize to a four-year deal worth 8 billion won ($7.4 million) on Nov. 21, and held Kang's introductory press conference at their home stadium, Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southe

BaseballNov. 30, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Figure skater struggling to regain form ahead of Olympics

South Korean figure skater Choi Da-bin said Thursday she's still struggling to regain her form in the build-up to next year's Winter Olympics.Choi is scheduled to compete in the second round of the national qualification event for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul this weekend.Choi won the first qualifying event in July with a total score of 181.79 points, more than 12 points ahead of the runner-up, Kim Ha-nul.The third and the final leg of the qualifying will be

More SportsNov. 30, 2017

Lotte Giants re-sign US pitcher, infielder

The South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants announced Thursday they've re-signed a pair of American players for another go.The Korea Baseball Organization team inked left-hander Brooks Raley to a $1.17 million contract and signed infielder Andy Burns to a $730,000 contract.Raley, 29, will enter his fourth KBO season. He made $850,000 in 2017. Burns, who first joined the Giants for the 2017 season, made $600,000 this year. In this file photo taken Oct. 9, 2017, Brooks Raley of the Lotte Giants th

BaseballNov. 30, 2017

Football legend Cha Bum-kun inducted into Korean Sports Hall of Fame

South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun was inducted into the country's Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday.Cha joined other sporting legends in a ceremony in Seoul organized by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.KSOC has been naming "Korean Sports Heroes" each year since 2011. Previous inductees include Sohn Kee-chung, the 1936 Olympic marathon champion who ran under the Japanese flag, former wrestling Olympic champion Yang Jung-mo, ex-International Olympic Committee Vice President Kim Un-yong

SoccerNov. 29, 2017

Korea hoping to avoid football powerhouses in 2018 World Cup draw

As one of the lowest seeded teams at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Korea will be hoping to avoid the big guns when the draw for football's showpiece event takes place later this week in Russia. South Korea will find out their group stage opponents Friday when the draw ceremony opens at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Even though their fate will be in hands of those who pick the draw balls, South Korea will be looking for the best pairings in their 10th World Cup appearance.FIFA previously a

SoccerNov. 29, 2017

Korean midfielder on 3-game scoring streak in French league

South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon has stretched his scoring streak to three matches in the French football league.Kwon, who plays for Dijon FCO in the Ligue 1, scored an equalizer when his club was trailing 1-0 to Amiens SC at Licorne Stadium in Amiens, France, on Tuesday (local time). Starting on the right flank, Kwon found the net in the 15th minute following a pass from Frederic Sammaritano.This was Kwon's fifth goal of the 2017-18 season. The 23-year-old is also on a three-game scoring

SoccerNov. 29, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] PyeongChang Paralympics 100 days away with host eyeing top-10 finish

The countdown to the first Winter Paralympics in South Korea reached 100 days Wednesday, with the host eyeing a top-10 finish at the multisport competition for disabled athletes.PyeongChang, an alpine resort town some 180 kilometers east of Seoul in Gangwon Province, will host the Winter Paralympic Games from March 9 to 18 next year, under the slogan "Passion. Connected."The event follows the Winter Olympic Games, scheduled from Feb. 9 to 25.The Winter Paralympics will take place at the same ven

More SportsNov. 29, 2017

Korean football icon Park Ji-sung to attend 2018 World Cup draw in Moscow

South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung will attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup draw ceremony in Russia later this week, a source close to the former player said Tuesday.The source said Park will attend the draw for the 2018 World Cup at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow on Friday after receiving an invitation from FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Park, who hung up his boots in 2014, was named youth program chief at the Korea Football Association earlier this month, but has yet to make appearance a

SoccerNov. 28, 2017

New faces on nat'l football team eye to impress at regional tournament

ULSAN -- Two newly selected South Korea national football team players said Tuesday they want to deliver impressive performances at the upcoming regional tournament, hoping for a steady international call up in the future. On South Korea's 24-man squad for the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship in Tokyo next month, Jin Seong-uk and Kim Sung-joon are two of the four members who are trying to make their international debut. South Korea, which qualified for the 2018 FIFA World

SoccerNov. 28, 2017

Int'l taekwondo body may use 360-degree video replay system at Tokyo 2020

World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won said Tuesday the organization plans to use a 4-D camera that provides 360-degree images at the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. 　Choue said the international taekwondo governing body is working to adopt such a system at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for accurate video reviews and fancy kick highlights in bouts. 　“Archery earned popularity with a high-speed camera despite the simplicity of the sport, and we realized that it‘s important to provide dynamic images,”

More SportsNov. 28, 2017

Lotte Giants acquire All-Star outfielder via free agency

The South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants signed All-Star outfielder Min Byung-hun via free agency Tuesday.The Korea Baseball Organization team added one of the biggest prizes in the open market with a four-year deal worth 8 billion won ($7.3 million).The 30-year-old played his first 11 seasons with the Doosan Bears. He is a career .299 hitter in 1,096 games and has batted at least .300 in each of the past five seasons.In 2017, Min batted .304/.389/.445 with 14 home runs, 71 RBIs and 21 double

BaseballNov. 28, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Natl. women's hockey captain eyes bronze medal at PyeongChang 2018

When the South Korean women's hockey team makes its Olympic debut next February on home ice, it will go up against three top-10 countries in the preliminary stage.The 22nd-ranked South Korea has made strides in recent years, but it will still have an uphill battle against Sweden (No. 5), Switzerland (No. 6) and Japan (No. 7) in Group B.But South Korean captain Park Jong-ah isn't one to look at the matchups and shudder with fear. In fact, the team's top forward has set a lofty goal at the 2018 Py

More SportsNov. 28, 2017

Ticket sales top 50 pct in runup to PyeongChang Olympics

More than half of the tickets for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics have been sold, the local Olympics organizing committee said Sunday. "Around 555,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as sports competitions, had been sold as of last Friday," the organizing committee said. The sales account for 52 percent of the committee's sales target of 1.07 million, according to the committee. The Winter Games are scheduled to run from Feb. 9-25.  (Yonhap)The sales rate reached 31

More SportsNov. 26, 2017

South Korean wins World Cup men's skeleton race in Whistler

Yun Sungbin of South Korea had the fastest starts and finishes in both heats Saturday to easily win a men's World Cup skeleton race. He has outright possession of the series points lead after two wins from three races. Yun Sungbin, of South Korea, competes in a world cup men’s skeleton race in Whistler, British Columbia, Saturday Dec. 3, 2016. (AP)Russia's Nikita Tregubov was second and Latvia's Tomass Dukurs was third.Yun finished three-quarters of a second ahead of Tregubov, a massive margin i

More SportsNov. 26, 2017

Boxing legend Roberto Duran to visit Korea

Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Duran will visit South Korea later this month to meet with local boxing executives, officials here said Friday. According to Korea Boxing Commission officials, Duran will visit the country with Panamanian boxer-turned-congressman Hector Carrasquilla. The two will attend an event in Seoul next Monday that commemorates South Korean boxing icon Hong Soo-hwan's memorable victory against Carrasquilla 40 years ago. Hong and Carrasquilla delivered a memorable bout in Pa

More SportsNov. 24, 2017

Korea replace injured goalkeeper for regional football tournament

South Korea on Friday replaced an injured goalkeeper for an upcoming regional football tournament.The Korea Football Association said Kim Seung-gyu, who plays with Japanese club Vissel Kobe, has been dropped from the 24-man squad for the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship in Tokyo due to an injury to his left ankle. The 27-year-old sustained the injury during national team training ahead of the friendly football match against Serbia last week. The KFA said Seongnam FC goalk

SoccerNov. 24, 2017

Korean forward scores 8th goal of season in Europa League action

South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan has scored for the first time in three months as he helped FC Red Bull Salzburg to qualify for the knockout stage of a second-tier European club competition. Hwang scored Salzburg's third goal in their 3-0 win over Vitoria SC in the UEFA Europa League Group I match at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, on Thursday (local time). This was Hwang's eighth goal of the 2017-18 season in all competitions and his first since Aug. 20, when he scored against SKN St. P

SoccerNov. 24, 2017