Teen golf phenom eyes top rookie award on home tour

South Korean teen golf sensation Choi Hye-jin said Monday she'd like to win the top rookie award on the home tour next year.Once a hot-shot amateur, Choi turned professional last Thursday, a day after her 18th birthday. On Aug. 20, she won her last event as an amateur, the Bogner MBN Ladies Open on the Korea LPGA Tour. The victory made Choi the first amateur to win twice in one KLPGA season since 1999, and it came about a month after Choi made international headlines by finishing in second place

GolfAug. 28, 2017

Top rookie makes provisional natl. baseball team for inaugural tournament

The top rookie in South Korean baseball this year on Monday made the provisional national team for an inaugural offseason tournament.The Korea Baseball Organization announced a 42-man roster for the Asia Professional Baseball Championship, which will take place from Nov. 16 to 19 in Tokyo. It will feature pros from South Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei under 24 -- born on or after Jan. 1, 1993 -- or those with less than three years of professional experience. Teams are each allowed three players

BaseballAug. 28, 2017

Hot-shot amateur golfer turns pro, signs lucrative endorsement deal

South Korean teen golfer Choi Hye-jin signed a lucrative endorsement deal Monday, just days after turning professional.Choi, runner-up at the US Women's Open last month, signed a two-year deal with Lotte Group. While exact financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, Choi reportedly signed for the biggest contract ever handed to a rookie by a Korean conglomerate.One Lotte official said Choi will receive about 600 million won ($535,800) per year. The official said there were other companies wh

GolfAug. 28, 2017

Pro hockey coaches predict difficult road ahead for Korea at PyeongChang 2018

Two foreign-born coaches for South Korean professional hockey clubs on Monday predicted a difficult road ahead for the host country at next year's PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Upstart South Korea, ranked 21st in the world, will make its Olympic debut in the men's tournament next February. It has earned a spot as the host nation and will go up against Canada, world No. 1 and two-time defending champion, No. 6 Czech Republic and No. 7 Switzerland.Under the guidance of former National Hockey League

More SportsAug. 28, 2017

Ex-NHL coach still learning new team, culture in Korea

Former National Hockey League coach Kevin Constantine was hired by a South Korean club, Daemyung Killer Whales, two months ago, and the learning process hasn't stopped for the American.And he wouldn't have it any other way."For me, the opportunity to coach the game and experience a new culture would be two of the favorite things I can do in life,"Constantine said at a preseason media conference for the Asia League Ice Hockey, whose 2017-2018 season will begin Sept. 2."I am new, so I am just tryi

More SportsAug. 28, 2017

Defending Asian hockey champion undaunted by challenges in Olympic season

When South Korean club Anyang Halla try to win their third straight Asia League Ice Hockey title in the upcoming season, they'll have to do so without about a dozen players for about half the time.That's because the South Korean national team will call up its players in the buildup to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next February. Anyang Halla, stocked with talent, could lose up to 12 players starting in November, when South Korea will set up camp and start playing tune-up games.The regular seas

More SportsAug. 28, 2017

David Beckham to visit Korea

Retired soccer player David Beckham will visit Korea in September to attend 30th anniversary events hosted by AIA Korea as the group's global ambassador. AIA Korea announced Monday that Beckham will grace its Grand Festival 2017 on Sept. 20 to talk about his healthy lifestyle as well as various corporate outreach initiatives he’ll participate in on behalf of AIA.Beckham was quoted as saying he‘s very excited to visit Korea. He said, “I’m excited to encourage individuals to live longer, healthier

SoccerAug. 28, 2017

Korea natl. football team set to train with full squad

South Korea's national football team will train with a full squad this week as Europe-based players are to return home Monday for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.South Korea, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, called up 26 players for their last two matches in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The Taeguk Warriors are scheduled to host Iran on Thursday and take on Uzbekistan five days later.Sixteen players -- mostly domestic K League Classic-based -- have been training

SoccerAug. 28, 2017

Korean achieves new career high in tennis world rankings

South Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon has achieved a career high in the men's world rankings for the second time in two weeks.Chung moved up two spots to reach No. 47 in the Association of Tennis Professionals world rankings released Monday.Two weeks ago, Chung cracked the top 50 for the first time by soaring seven slots to No. 49. In this Associated Press file photo taken on Aug. 14, 2017, Chung Hyeon of South Korea returns a shot against Feliciano Lopez during the first round at the Western &

More SportsAug. 28, 2017

LPGA rookie phenom rides 'perfect' round to 2nd title

LPGA rookie phenom Park Sung-hyun has said she rode a "perfect" round to her second career victory in Canada.Park shot a bogey-free round of seven-under 64 to win the Canadian Pacific Women's Open on Sunday (local time) in Ottawa. At 13-under overall, Park defeated fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim by two strokes.The victory came a little over a month after Park's monumental victory at the US Women's Open, the oldest major championship in women's golf. Thanks to those two victories, Park now leads

GolfAug. 28, 2017

Korean rookie rallies for 2nd career LPGA win

South Korean rookie sensation Park Sung-hyun has rallied for her second career LPGA victory in Canada.Park, world No. 4, overcame a four-shot deficit to win the Canadian Pacific Women's Open in Ottawa on Sunday (local time). She fired a bogey-free final round of seven-under 64 at the par-71 Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club to finish at 13-under 271, beating fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim by two strokes. Park took home a winner's check of $337,500 to overtake South Korean Ryu So-yeon for first place on

GolfAug. 28, 2017

Veteran midfielder determined to set up strikers in World Cup qualifiers

PAJU -- South Korean midfielder Yeom Ki-hun said Friday he is ready to provide assists to strikers in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.Yeom is one of the 26 players called up by head coach Shin Tae-yong for South Korea's last two matches in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korea will host Iran next Thursday and take on Uzbekistan five days later in Tashkent."The national team training is exciting," Yeom said to reporters at the National Football Center in Paju

SoccerAug. 27, 2017

Towering striker says natl. football team is changing with new coach

South Korean striker Kim Shin-wook said the national football team is evolving with the new head coach, emphasizing that they will display a different style of football in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.Kim is one of the 26 players called up by head coach Shin Tae-yong for South Korea's last two matches in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korea will host Iran next Thursday and take on Uzbekistan five days later in Tashkent.Kim, who returned to the national t

SoccerAug. 27, 2017

Figure skater determined to win Olympic spot in last qualifying event

Former South Korean national figure skating champion said Friday he's determined to win an Olympic spot at the final qualifying event next month.Lee, a three-time South Korean champion, won the men's singles title at the Figure Skating Korea Challenge last month in Seoul and earned the right to compete at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany starting on Sept. 27. It's the last Olympic qualifying competition where six tickets to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games will be up for grabs. Lee June-hyoung (

More SportsAug. 25, 2017

Seoul-based taekwondo team's N. Korea visit likely to be called off

North Korea has responded negatively to a Seoul-based world taekwondo governing body's plan to send its demonstration team to Pyongyang next month, a sports official said Friday. The official from the World Taekwondo (WT) said it received a letter on Saturday from the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) World Championships, which expressed a negative opinion about having the WT team in Pyongyang admid the current situation. "Separately with the ITF World Championships organi

More SportsAug. 25, 2017

Pak Se-ri says hosting junior tournament 'valuable experience'

Retired South Korean golf legend Pak Se-ri said Thursday hosting a US junior tournament has given her a valuable experience. The inaugural Se Ri Pak Junior Championship was staged at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico, California, from Monday to Thursday.Although the 39-year-old hosted a couple of South Korean events, the Se Ri Cup Junior Championship and Se Ri Pak Invitational on the Korea LPGA Tour -- this was her first tournament with the American Junior Golf Association.  Pak Se-ri (Yonhap)"A

GolfAug. 25, 2017

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin earns 5th win of season vs. Pirates

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has earned his fifth win of 2017 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.Ryu improved to 5-6 after allowing just one run across six innings in the Dodgers' 5-2 victory at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Thursday (local time). He was lifted for pinch hitter Austin Barnes in the top seventh when the Dodgers were leading 3-1. It was Ryu's first victory since Aug. 6 when he pitched against the New York Mets. He had no-decisions in his last two outings. Ryu Hyun-jin (AP-Yonha

BaseballAug. 25, 2017

Korean football club given stadium ban over violent fans

A second division club in the South Korean football league on Thursday was ordered to play its next home match behind closed doors after its supporters' violent behavior. The disciplinary committee of the K League decided that Bucheon FC will have to play their home match against Asan Mugunghwa FC on Sept. 3 without supporters following an incident last Saturday. Bucheon were also ordered to pay 10 million won ($8,800) in fines. In a K League Challenge match between Bucheon and Gyeongnam FC, som

SoccerAug. 24, 2017

Career in limbo, Pirates' Kang Jung-ho giving free youth clinics

Beleaguered major league infielder Kang Jung-ho has been giving free youth clinics and donating equipment, while his playing career remains in limbo, a source close to the player said Thursday.Kang remains without a work permit to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, having received a suspended sentence over drunk driving charges earlier this year.Kang has kept a low profile while training on his own in South Korea, and the source said he's recently visited four different regions in the South Gyeong

BaseballAug. 24, 2017

IOC's Coordination Commission on PyeongChang to hold final meeting before Olympics

An International Olympic Committee body overseeing PyeongChang's preparations for the 2018 Winter Games will pay its final visit to the South Korean host city next week.The organizing committee for PyeongChang 2018 said Thursday the IOC's Coordination Commission, chaired by Gunilla Lindberg, will be in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, from next Tuesday to Thursday.This will be the ninth and the last Coordination Commission visit to the first South Korean host city of the Winter Ol

More SportsAug. 24, 2017