Korean swimmer speaks out about external pressure on Olympic participation

South Korean swimming icon Park Tae-hwan said Monday that he only thought about competing at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games when a high-ranking government official approached and allegedly tried to blackmail him to give up on the Olympics. Park's camp recently claimed that Kim Chong, former vice sports minister, tried to force him into not participating in the Rio Games following his doping suspension."Back then, I was scared because he (Kim Chong) was in a high-ranking position," Park told rep

Olympic GamesNov. 21, 2016

Korea face Uzbekistan in crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier

South Korea face Uzbekistan this week in a crucial match on their road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.South Korea will be the host at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The two countries will play their fifth match in the final Asian qualifying round for the World Cup.Both South Korea and Uzbekistan are in Group A, where they also compete against Iran, Qatar, Syria and China.South Korea, 44th in the latest FIFA rankings, boast a dominant head-to-head record against No. 48 Uzbekista

SoccerNov. 14, 2016

Korean coach nominated for top Asian football award

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors boss Choi Kang-hee has been nominated for the top Asian football coach award. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Friday announced nominees for its annual awards and Choi was shortlisted for the AFC Coach of the Year honor.The 57-year-old South Korean is up against two Japanese coaches-- Makoto Teguramori and Atsushi Uchiyama. Teguramori managed the Japanese men's Olympic football team at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games, while Uchiyama guided Japan to the U-19 Asian

SoccerNov. 11, 2016

S. Korean football starlet in fine form ahead of nat'l team duty

South Korean starlet Hwang Hee-chan showed he is in fine form as the young striker grabbed a brace at a second-tier European cup competition ahead of his national team duty next week. Hwang scored both goals in FC Red Bull Salzburg's 2-0 victory against OGC Nice at the UEFA Europa League Group I clash at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, France, on Thursday (local time). It was the first time that the 20-year-old netted goals at a European club tournament. Hwang, who joined Salzburg last year, came o

SoccerNov. 4, 2016

Doosan Bears capture 2nd straight Korean Series title

The Doosan Bears are the champions of South Korean baseball for the second straight year.The Bears defeated the NC Dinos 8-1 on Wednesday to complete the four-game sweep of the Korean Series at Masan Stadium in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. They now have five Korea Baseball Organization championships.The series MVP Yang Eui-ji blasted a solo shot as part of his three-hit night, and starter Yoo Hee-kwan tossed five shutout innings for the win, as the Bear

BaseballNov. 3, 2016

Postseason right-hander thinks vaunted opposing offense 'beatable'

The NC Dinos may boast some of the most feared sluggers in the Korea Baseball Organization, but the Doosan Bears right-hander Michael Bowden thinks they're still "beatable" with good execution of pitches.The two clubs are going toe-to-toe in the Korean Series, the KBO's championship final. The Bears claimed the opener 1-0 in 11 innings at their home, Jamsil Stadium in Seoul. And Bowden, in his first KBO season, is slated to start Tuesday's Game 3 on the road at Masan Stadium in Changwon, South G

BaseballOct. 30, 2016

Doosan Bears beat NC Dinos in 11 innings to open Korean Series

The Doosan Bears walked off on the NC Dinos 1-0 on Saturday to claim the opening game of the Korean Series.Oh Jae-il hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, as the Bears, the 2015 champions, built a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven championship series in the Korea Baseball Organization.There have been 33 Korean Series, and the Game 1 winner has gone on to capture the title in 24 of them. There was a tie in Game 1 of the inaugural Korean Series in 1982.In each of th

BaseballOct. 30, 2016

Korea up 3 spots to No. 44 in latest FIFA rankings

South Korea jumped three spots to No. 44 in the latest FIFA rankings despite their loss to Iran earlier this month. FIFA, the world football body headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, announced its October world rankings on Thursday (local time). The rankings showed South Korea remained as the third-highest-ranked member of the Asian Football Confederation behind No. 27 Iran and No. 40 Australia. Iran moved up 10 spots from their September rankings, while Australia climbed up five spots. South K

SoccerOct. 21, 2016

Baseball's defending champ loses reliever for title defense

Defending South Korean baseball champion Doosan Bears said Thursday they will be without a key reliever in their title defense.The Korea Baseball Organization club said right-hander Jung Jae-hoon will not be available for the Korean Series with a broken right shoulder. The best-of-seven series is scheduled to begin on Oct. 29.The Bears earned the bye to the Korean Series by winning the pennant. They won the KBO championship in 2015, too.Jung, a 14-year veteran, went 1-5 this year with 23 holds,

BaseballOct. 21, 2016

Postseason managers point to small stadium as key factor

When the NC Dinos host the LG Twins to start the second playoff round in the Korea Baseball Organization this week, the relatively small ballpark here in the southeastern part of the nation could play a big role, the teams' managers said Thursday.Game 1 between the two clubs is 6:30 p.m. Friday at Masan Stadium in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul. NC manager Kim Kyung-moon and LG manager Yang Sang-moon agreed small dimensions of the ballpark could mean

BaseballOct. 21, 2016

Nexen beats LG to even baseball postseason series

The Nexen Heroes beat the LG Twins 5-1 to even their Korea Baseball Organization postseason series on Friday.Starter Andy Van Hekken gave up just one run over 7 2/3 innings, and light-hitting outfielder Lim Byeong-uk blasted his first career postseason home run at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The clubs are now tied at 1-1, as the best-of-five first round series moves to LG's home, Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, for Game 3 at 2 p.m. Sunday.After getting blanked 7-0 Thursday, the Heroes scored their first

BaseballOct. 14, 2016