Korea ready to deliver surprising performance at U-20 World Cup: coach

JEONJU -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Friday his side will play every match like the final at the FIFA U-20 World Cup to deliver a surprising performance at home.The U-20 World Cup will be staged in six South Korean cities from Saturday to June 11. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A, with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team tournament. The top two from each group and the four best third-placed teams advance to the round of 16.South Korea will face Guinea in the

SoccerMay 19, 2017

Dodgers' Ryu Hyun-jin earns 2nd win of season

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has picked up his second win of the season, helping his own cause at the plate in the process.The South Korean left-hander kept the Miami Marlins to two runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings at Dodger Stadium on Thursday (local time), improving to 2-5 for the season. He also lowered his ERA from 4.99 to 4.75, while striking out three and walking one. The Dodgers won 7-2.Ryu also hit a double and scored a run himself in the Dodgers' three-run second inning.Ry

BaseballMay 19, 2017

Ticket sales sluggish for FIFA U-20 World Cup in Korea

With a day left until the opening of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, less than 30 percent of tickets have been sold, according to the organizers, although the tournament's opening match is likely to be sold out. South Korea will host the U-20 World Cup in six cities -- Suwon, Jeonju, Daejeon, Cheonan, Incheon and Jeju -- from Saturday to June 11. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team football competition.  South Korean under-20 nationa

SoccerMay 19, 2017

Son Heung-min's record-setting performance bodes well for Korean World Cup hopes

The record-setting performance by Tottenham Hotspur's winger Son Heung-min this week is also a welcoming sight for the South Korean national team trying to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup.Son scored twice against Leicester City in their Premier League match in Leicester on Thursday (local time), giving him 21 goals in all competitions this season. After a monthlong drought, Son finally moved past former star Cha Bum-kun as the top South Korean scorer in a European season. Cha scored 19 goals

SoccerMay 19, 2017

Tottenham's Son Heung-min sets single-season scoring record for Korean in European football

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min has broken the single-season goal record for a South Korean in European football after grabbing a brace against Leicester City.Son scored twice in Tottenham's 6-1 over Leicester City in their English Premier League match at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, Britain, on Thursday (local time). Son now has 21 goals in all competitions this season, surpassing the previous record for a South Korean player in Europe held by Cha Bum-kun. Cha scored 19 goals d

SportsMay 19, 2017

Korean coach says no home field advantage at U-20 World Cup with video assistance

JEONJU -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Thursday there will be no home field advantage at the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the introduction of a video review system.The U-20 World Cup will be staged in six South Korean cities from Saturday to June 11. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A, with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team tournament.The 21st edition of the U-20 World Cup is the first youth event by FIFA with video assistant referees. They will be able to provide

SoccerMay 18, 2017

Barca prospect hoping to score Korea's 1st goal at U-20 World Cup

JEONJU -- FC Barcelona prospect Paik Seung-ho said Thursday he hopes to score South Korea's opening goal at the FIFA U-20 World Cup on home soil.Host South Korea will face Guinea to start their Group A action at 8 p.m. Saturday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. And the 20-year-old midfielder said he'd like to put his name on the score sheet before anyone else. South Korean midfielder Paik Seung-ho poses for photos during the men's under-20 national football team media

SoccerMay 18, 2017

Pirates' Kang Jung-ho loses appeal over DUI sentencing; big league career in jeopardy

Beleaguered major league infielder Kang Jung-ho on Thursday lost his appeal of an earlier drunk driving sentence, a development that puts his playing career in jeopardy.The Seoul Central District Court rejected Kang's appeal and upheld an eight-month sentence from March, which was suspended for two years, for leaving the scene of a drunk driving accident in Seoul last December.The decision casts Kang's future in the big leagues into further doubt. The 30-year-old remains without a work permit to

BaseballMay 18, 2017

Contending ball club coming undone by double plays

GWANGJU -- Twin killings have been killing the LG Twins so far in this Korea Baseball Organization KBO season.The Twins traveled down to Gwangju, some 330 kilometers from their home in Seoul, to take on the first-place Kia Tigers in a three-game series starting Tuesday, with hopes of grabbing the top spot in the standings by the end of the showdown. The Twins were trailing the Tigers by 1.5 games in second place.In this file photo taken on May 7, 2017, players of the LG Twins celebrate a run dur

BaseballMay 18, 2017

Son Heung-min to return home with Tottenham teammates next week

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min will return home with his teammates next week for promotional events, the club's main sponsor said Wednesday.AIA, the pan-Asian insurance group that sponsors the English Premier League club, said Son and his clubmates Kyle Walker, Kevin Wimmer and Ben Davies will make a three-day visit to South Korea starting next Tuesday. AIA said Tottenham players will attend various fan events during their stay and meet with its South Korean branch employees

SoccerMay 17, 2017

Baseball team staying patient with slumping left-hander

The Nexen Heroes are nothing if not patient with their players. And they're more than willing to wait on their slumping left-hander Andy Van Hekken to turn things around.The 36-year-old American pitcher is in his sixth Korea Baseball Organization season with the Heroes, but this has so far been his worst in South Korea.In six starts, Van Hekken is 2-3 with a 4.59 ERA across 33 1/3 innings -- this by the same pitcher who carried a career 3.52 ERA with a 65-35 record in the KBO heading into 2017.A

BaseballMay 17, 2017

Sharing hotel with U-20 World Cup opponents no problem: coach

JEONJU -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Wednesday staying in the same hotel with the team's group stage opponents ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup will not pose a big problem.The U-20 World Cup kicks off Saturday and will run until June 11 in six local cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeonju, Suwon and Jeju. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team tournament, and all four teams landed in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Mon

SoccerMay 17, 2017

Ex-football stars hope Korea go beyond semis at U-20 World Cup

Two former South Korean football stars said Wednesday they hoped the youth national team will go deep into the upcoming FIFA tournament at home -- even beyond where they'd gone more than three decades ago.Shin Yon-ho and Kim Jong-boo were pivotal in South Korea's joining the final four at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship -- now known as the FIFA U-20 World Cup -- in Mexico. South Korea met Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the 1983 tournament and were tied 1-1 after regulation play. Shin the

SoccerMay 17, 2017

Host Korea eyeing historic success at FIFA U-20 World Cup

The FIFA U-20 World Cup will kick off on Saturday, with South Korea eyeing to deliver their best performance to date at home.Under the slogan "Trigger the Fever," the U-20 World Cup will be played until June 11 in six local cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeonju, Suwon and Jeju. South Korea was named the host of the 2017 U-20 World Cup in 2013 after edging out Azerbaijan in a vote during a FIFA Executive Committee meeting.Members of South Korea's squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup pose for a

SoccerMay 17, 2017

Ex-Dutch Olympic champion Bob de Jong arrives in Korea as new speed skating coach

INCHEON -- Former Dutch Olympic speed skating champion Bob de Jong arrived in South Korea on Tuesday to begin his tenure as an assistant coach of the national team here.The 40-year-old was appointed to the post by the Korea Skating Union on April 26. He will be tasked with working with the skaters for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the first Winter Games to be held in South Korea.In this EPA file photo taken on Nov. 22, 2014, Bob de Jong of the Netherlands reacts after winning the men's 1

More SportsMay 16, 2017

Korea hockey coach Jim Paek hoping for reunion with ex-NHL teammate Jaromir Jagr

JINCHEON -- They were once teammates in the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. One is coaching the South Korean men's national team, and the other is still playing in the National Hockey League.And if it all goes right, Jim Paek and Jaromir Jagr will be reunited at next year's Winter Olympics in South Korea -- Paek as the South Korean bench boss, and Jagr as a Czech Republic player in the group stage.And Paek was practically giddy when reminded of that possibility.Jim Paek (L), currently head c

More SportsMay 16, 2017

Korean striker aims to score goals in every match at U-20 World Cup

PAJU -- Cho Young-wook might not be the most well-known player on the South Korean squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but he might be the player with the greatest ambitions.As the main striker for the host nation of the U-20 World Cup, Cho wants to score goals in every match he plays. At the 24-team tournament, which kicks off on Saturday, South Korea are in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England."I always think about scoring one goal in every game I play," Cho said Monday after a group phot

SoccerMay 16, 2017

LPGA legend Pak Se-ri to begin new career as TV commentator

Retired golf legend Pak Se-ri will soon begin her new career as a television commentator.SBS Golf, a local golf-only cable channel, said Tuesday that Pak will make her first appearance of the season on June 15 in the first round of the Kia Motors Korea Women's Open Golf Championship, a major tournament on the Korea LPGA Tour.Former LPGA Tour star Pak Se-ri smiles during a corporate event in Seoul on April 28, 2017. (Yonhap)An official with SBS Golf said Pak will handle several other KLPGA tourna

GolfMay 16, 2017

Ex-Korean short tracker named coach of Turkish nat'l team

ISTANBUL -- Former South Korean short track speed skater Kim Hye-kyung has been named the head coach of the Turkish national team, officials in Istanbul said Tuesday.The Turkish Ice Skating Federation said Kim has recently signed on to take over its national team, and will start training with the athletes on June 1. In this photo captured on the website of the Turkish Ice Skating Federation, former South Korean national team short track speed skater Kim Hye-kyung (fourth from L) stands among Tur

More SportsMay 16, 2017

Having tasted success, men's hockey players endure rigorous off-ice training

At first, it all seemed harmless enough: professional hockey players doing their 20-meter shuttle runs, seemingly at a leisurely pace on Monday.A few minutes passed, and as their pace picked up, more and more players started to bend over with their hands on their knees during breaks, trying to catch their breath. One after another fell by the wayside, some going down to the floor, a picture of complete exhaustion. South Korean men's hockey players take part in drills at the Jincheon National Tra

More SportsMay 15, 2017