KBO's Hanwha Eagles in complete disarray

The Hanwha Eagles have gone back to being their old selves in the Korea Baseball Organization, and it's not a good thing, if you know the recent history of this club.The Eagles have lost five straight games to drop to 2-11 in the young season, easily the worst record in the 10-team league. They lost the first two games of the season in extra innings and had a four-game slide earlier this month before dropping five in a row over the past week.To their faithful, the Eagles' woes early this season

BaseballApril 18, 2016

'Realistic' hockey goalie says medal not necessary for Korean success at PyeongChang 2018

We often measure success at the Olympics by the color of medals. As the men's hockey team goaltender Matt Dalton sees it, however, South Korea won't necessarily have to reach the podium on home ice in 2018 to call its Olympic hockey debut a success.Dalton, born in Canada, obtained his South Korean passport last month after getting fast-tracked to the citizenship. He's among a handful of North American-natives who have been naturalized as South Koreans, and they will represent their adopted count

Olympic GamesApril 18, 2016

Mariners' Lee Dae-ho belts walk-off home run

Lee Dae-ho of the Seattle Mariners belted a walk-off home run Wednesday for his second long ball of the season.Lee launched a two-run blast in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field in Seattle, lifting the M's to a 4-2 victory.Lee started the game on the bench and pinch-hit for first baseman Adam Lind against left-hander Jake Diekman, with a man on and two outs in the bottom 10th.Lee looked at a 97-mile-per-hour fastball for a first pitch strike. He fouled off an

BaseballApril 14, 2016

Korean-German hockey official hoping for 'miracle' for host at PyeongChang 2018

It will take nothing short of a miracle for South Korea to defeat powerhouse Canada in men's hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. After all, South Korea will be making its first Olympic appearance by virtue of being the host, while Canada has won the past two Olympic titles, led by superstars from the National Hockey League (NHL).These two nations clash in the group stage at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangwon Province, lying east of PyeongChang. And once the puck drops, a miracle will

More SportsApril 12, 2016

Ineligible for Olympics, swimmer Park Tae-hwan undecided on entering nat'l team trials

Disgraced former Olympic swimming champion Park Tae-hwan remains undecided on entering the upcoming national team trials, after he has been ruled out of this year's Summer Games, his agency said Tuesday.Park has registered to compete in the men's 100m, 200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyle races at the 88th Dong-A Swimming Competition starting on April 25 in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the meet organizers.The competition will double as the second round of the national tea

More SportsApril 12, 2016

PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games announces ticket prices

Tickets to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony will cost 200,000 won ($174) to 1.5 million won.　The organizing committee for the games announced Monday ticket prices for the opening and closing ceremonies and individual games. Closing ceremony tickets are priced from 220,000 won to 950,000 won. The opening and closing ceremonies are the third and fifth, respectively, most anticipated events among Koreans, according to a survey of 1,741 Koreans on popularity of the upcoming

Olympic GamesApril 11, 2016

Jeonbuk hoping to see benefit of squad rotation in tight schedule

South Korean pro football champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors hope to see their squad rotation system bloom during the tight schedule of the domestic league and the Asian premier club tournament, as they struggle to score three points in recent matches.Jeonbuk, two-time defending champions of the top-flight K League Classic, posted a 1-1 draw against Pohang Steelers in their domestic league action Sunday after conceding an equalizer in the 89th minute. This was another winless result after they suf

SoccerApril 11, 2016

Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo gets 2 hits in MLB debut

The Baltimore Orioles South Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo recorded two hits in his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut Sunday.Batting ninth and playing left field, Kim went 2-for-3 with a run scored as the Orioles defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The Orioles improved to 5-0 this season.Kim, an All-Star in South Korea who signed a two-year deal with the Orioles last December, had watched the club's previous four games on the bench. He had a dismal spring

BaseballApril 11, 2016

Veteran steps into closer role for early-season surprise

In his ninth Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, Nexen Heroes' right-hander Kim Se-hyun has stepped nicely into the full-time closer role for the first time.The 28-year-old picked up his second save of the season Sunday against the Doosan Bears, tossing one shutout inning to wrap up a 5-4 victory.Kim didn't have a save in 207 appearances prior to this season.The Heroes, a consensus pick to finish in the KBO cellar this year after losing so many key pieces in the offseason, are now sitting

BaseballApril 11, 2016

Two S. Korean sluggers hit first MLB homers

Two South Korean sluggers picked up their first major league home runs Friday (local time), writing a new page in the history of Koreans' advances into Major League Baseball (MLB).Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins delivered a 132-meter solo homer in the top of the 8th against the Kansas City Royals to break a 2-2 tie.It was his third game in the MLB, appearing sixth as the designated hitter.Lee Dae-ho of the Seattle Mariners also hit a solo home run in their home opener against the Oakland At

BaseballApril 9, 2016

Orioles' Kim Hyun-soo eager to make big league debut

Three games into the 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, Kim Hyun-soo of the Baltimore Orioles has yet to get off the bench.And when he does, Kim said he wants to show he belongs."I want to be as well prepared as I can be for my first game, so that I can have a good performance," Kim told Yonhap News Agency on Thursday after the Orioles defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-2 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. "To show that I am ready to play, I just have to prepare hard for that opportunity."Kim, wh

BaseballApril 8, 2016

Korea up one spot in FIFA rankings at No. 56

South Korea has moved one spot up to rank No. 56 in the world, the latest FIFA ranking announced on Thursday showed.The April rankings of FIFA showed that the South Korea men's football team is ranked third best in Asia, just one notch above their archrival Japan.Iran was the top-ranked country in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at No. 42 followed by Australia, which moved up from No. 67 to 50.Saudi Arabia was the fifth-highest-ranked Asian country at No. 60, followed by Uzbekistan (No. 6

SoccerApril 7, 2016

Five short track speed skaters charged with illegal gambling

Five short track speed skaters have been charged with allegedly placing illegal bets on sports games online, the police said Thursday. The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said they have booked without physical detention five short track speed skaters on charges of regularly betting on sports games on illegal websites last year. The police said that three of them finished in the top eight in the second round of the short track speed skating national team qualification for the 2016-17 seas

SportsApril 7, 2016

Korea will remain second seed despite forfeit victory over Kuwait

South Korea will remain a second seed in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup despite the world football governing body's ruling that the country should be awarded a forfeit victory for their unplayed qualifier against Kuwait last month. FIFA's Disciplinary Committee announced on Wednesday (local time) that Kuwait have forfeited their Group G matches against South Korea and Laos in the second round Asian qualifiers for the World Cup in Russia. Kuwait have been suspended b

SoccerApril 7, 2016

Ex-Olympic swimming champ Park Tae-hwan ruled out of Rio Games

Former Olympic swimming gold medalist Park Tae-hwan was ruled out of this year's Rio Summer Games Wednesday following a decision by the nation's top sports body.The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) said it would not amend its rule preventing athletes who've served doping suspensions from representing the country for three years, starting on the day the suspension ends.Park recently served an 18-month suspension after testing positive for testosterone, and his ban ended on March 2.The KOC institute

Olympic GamesApril 6, 2016

Mariners' Lee Dae-ho hitless in 1st MLB start

The Seattle Mariners first baseman Lee Dae-ho went hitless in his first Major League Baseball start Tuesday in Texas.Playing first base and batting eighth against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Lee went 0-for-2 and stranded three men. Seattle won 10-2.In his big league debut the previous day, the 33-year-old South Korean struck out in a pinch-hit appearance.Lee started opposite of his childhood friend Choo Shin-soo, a veteran outfielder for the Rangers. It marked the first ti

BaseballApril 6, 2016

Twins' Park Byung-ho gets 1st MLB hit as three Koreans make season debuts

Park Byung-ho of the Minnesota Twins picked up his first Major League Baseball hit, as three South Koreans made their first appearances of the 2016 season Monday across the United States.Batting sixth as the designated hitter, Park went 1-for-3 and scored a run in his big league debut against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. The O's prevailed 3-2 with Matt Wieters' walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth.Park was called out on strikes against Baltimore starter C

BaseballApril 5, 2016

Son Yeon-jae satisfied with her performance before Rio Games

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae said Tuesday she is satisfied with her improving performance, but will work harder to earn a medal at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.Son collected two silver medals in clubs and ribbon over the weekend at the International Federation of Gymnastics World Cup in Pesaro, Italy. Before that, she'd picked up a handful of medals in Russia, Finland and Portugal."I feel good because I saw my performance getting better," Son said upon her arrival at the Inch

SportsApril 5, 2016

Chun In-gee rises to qualification spot for Olympic women's golf

Fresh off a runner-up finish at the LPGA Tour's first major of the season, South Korean youngster Chun In-gee rose to the last qualification spot for the Olympics Monday.Chun finished second behind champion Lydia Ko at ANA Inspiration in California on Sunday, and moved up a notch on the latest women's world rankings to No. 8. She traded positions with fellow South Korean Amy Yang.Chun is now the fourth-highest South Korean on the rankings, behind No. 2 Park Im-bee, No. 5 Kim Sei-young and No. 6

GolfApril 4, 2016