S. Korea beats Australia in men's volleyball

South Korea defeated Australia 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 20-23, 15-9) to open the men's volleyball tournament at the Summer Universiade Thursday.Down 7-5 in the decisive fifth set, South Korea reeled off eight consecutive points to take control. Australia fought back with a couple of points but committed an error to concede the match-clinching point at Yeomju Gymnasium in Gwangju.Jung Ji-seok led South Korea with 21 points and Jeong Dong-geun chipped in 17 points.Max Staples had 22 for Australia

Olympic GamesJuly 2, 2015

S. Korea vigilant against N. Korea's provocation during Universiade

South Korea's top military officer warned Monday about a possible North Korean provocation with the Summer Universiade just around the corner.  "Given North Korea's decision not to join the event, there could be the possibility of North Korea's terror attempts before or after the event as well as provocations near the front line or at the sea, designed to interrupt it," Adm. Choi Yun-hee, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a visit to the host city of Gwangju.   "The military is b

More SportsJune 29, 2015

S. Korea launches quest for big medal haul at Universiade

South Korea on Thursday began its quest for a major medal haul at the upcoming Summer Universiade at home, with eyes on a top-three finish in the medal standings.The South Korean delegation held its launch ceremony at Olympic Park in Seoul. This year's Universiade, a multisport competition for university athletes, will take place in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of the capital, and its satellite towns from July 3 to 14.The goal for South Korea is to grab at least 25 gold medals and finish i

Olympic GamesJune 25, 2015

S. Korean Universiade delegation sets up measures to battle MERS

The South Korean delegation to the upcoming Summer Universiade on home soil has set up safety measures to fight Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, its top official said Thursday.You Byong-jin, president of the Korea University Sports Board, said a physician with expertise in MERS will join the delegation and will be charged with looking after the country's 382 athletes and 134 officials.Gwangju, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, and its satellite towns will stage the Universiade, a multisport

Olympic GamesJune 25, 2015

Gwangju Universiade to be largest in event's history

The upcoming Summer Universiade to open in the South Korean city of Gwangju will be the largest in the event's history, organizers said Tuesday.The organizing committee for the Universiade said 12,737 athletes and officials from 145 nations had registered as of 3 p.m. Monday, surpassing the 11,759 who participated in the 2013 event in Kazan, Russia.This year's Universiade, a multisport competition for university athletes, will go on from July 3 to July 14 in Gwangju, a metropolitan city some 330

Olympic GamesJune 23, 2015

Ex-MLB pitcher Park Chan-ho gives equipment, free lesson to Vietnamese youth team

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Park Chan-ho has provided equipment and a free lesson to a youth club in Vietnam, informed sources said Monday.Park, a goodwill ambassador for the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, met with the Hanoi-based club Hanoi Capitals last Friday, and offered them gloves and cleats, the sources said, adding the former right-hander also gave a brief clinic.The EDCF is a state fund launched in 1987 and is designed to help less-developed countries by giving loans wi

BaseballJune 23, 2015

World Cup mission accomplished, S. Korea faces more work ahead in women's football

On the surface, South Korea accomplished the goals it had set out to meet at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. The world's 18th-ranked team earned its maiden win at the quadrennial tournament and reached the knockout stage for the first time in the process.The success on paper, however, masked some of the pressing issues South Korea faces going forward.Coached by Yoon Duk-yeo, South Korea lost to France 3-0 in the round of 16 in Montreal on Sunday. Without its star forward Ji So-yun, who sat

SoccerJune 22, 2015

S. Korea crashes out of FIFA Women's World Cup

South Korea crashed out of the FIFA Women's World Cup with a 3-0 loss to France in the round of 16 on Sunday.France scored twice in the first eight minutes en route to the rout at Olympic Stadium, as the flustered South Korea, ranked 18th in the world, found itself overmatched against the third-ranked opponent.Forward Marie-Laure Delie scored twice and midfielder Elodie Thomis added another for France, which finished fourth at the previous Women's World Cup in 2011.It was South Korea's first tri

SoccerJune 22, 2015

S. Korea defeats UAE 3-0 in football friendly

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (Yonhap) -- With strong efforts on both ends, South Korea defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 3-0 on Thursday in its final football friendly before the start of the World Cup qualifiers.Former World Cup veteran Yeom Ki-hun, international rookie Lee Yong-jae and rising striker Lee Jeong-hyeop scored a goal apiece at Shah Alam Stadium in Shah Alam, Malaysia, as the 58th-ranked South Korea edged past the 73rd-ranked UAE for the 12th time in 19 meetings. South Korea will trav

SoccerJune 11, 2015

Baseball league reverts to tighter reserve clause on foreign players

South Korea's top baseball league reverted to a tighter reserve clause on foreign players on Tuesday.Presently, if foreign players in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) don't re-sign with their original teams after their contracts expire, the teams retain the rights to such players for two years. Presidents from the 10 clubs decided to increase the period back to five years at their board meeting.The period had been lowered from five years to two years in January 2014.The KBO said the change

SportsJune 9, 2015

Park Tae-hwan may have heard about banned substance prior to injection

Reversing his earlier claims, Park Tae-hwan has said he may have heard about a banned substance in the contested injection that led to his positive doping test, a legal statement showed Thursday.Park, suspended after testing positive for testosterone, had earlier claimed he didn't know he received a hormone shot at a Seoul clinic until after learning the doping test results. The head doctor at the clinic has been indicted on the charge of professional negligence. However, in an affidavit submitt

More SportsJune 4, 2015

Park Tae-hwan shifts position on contested injection

South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan has shifted his position on the contested injection that led to a positive doping test, a legal statement showed Thursday.Park, suspended after testing positive for testosterone, had earlier claimed he didn't know he received a hormone shot at a Seoul clinic until after learning the doping test results. The head doctor at the clinic has been indicted on the charge of professional negligence. However, in a written testimony submitted to the Seoul Central Distric

Olympic GamesJune 4, 2015

Historic homer lifts baseball star into rarefied air

With a milestone homer that further cemented his legacy in South Korean baseball, slugger Lee Seung-yuop on Wednesday entered rarefied air that no one has reached, and no one likely will for quite some time.The 38-year-old star for the Samsung Lions belted his 400thcareer home run off Koo Seung-min of the Lotte Giants at Pohang Baseball Stadium. It's the alternate home for the Lions, who are based in Daegu, west of Pohang.Lee became the KBO's career leader in home runs two years ago, hitting hom

BaseballJune 3, 2015

Chung considers FIFA candidacy

Former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon said Wednesday that he would carefully consider running for the top job at the world’s football governing body.“I will decide on whether to participate in an election after consulting with officials in the global football community,” Chung said in a press conference in Seoul.Chung, who served as FIFA’s No. 2 man from 1994 to 2011 and chief of the Korea Football Association from 1993 to 2009, helped Korea co-host the World Cup in 2002 with Japan.By Park

SoccerJune 3, 2015

FIFA's Blatter slams US action, Europe 'hate' campaign

ZURICH, (AFP) - FIFA leader Sepp Blatter said Saturday he was "shocked" at the way the US judiciary has targeted football's world body and slammed what he called a "hate" campaign by Europe's football leaders.In an interview with Swiss television, Blatter said he suspected the arrest of seven FIFA officials on Wednesday under a US anti-corruption warrant was an attempt to "interfere with the congress" at which he was elected Friday.Commenting on the fact that it came only two days before his ele

SoccerMay 30, 2015

FC Seoul eliminated from AFC Champions League

South Korean club FC Seoul crashed out of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League following an away loss on Wednesday.The K League Classic club lost to Gamba Osaka 3-2 in Osaka in the second leg of their round of 16 series. The Japanese side reached the quarterfinals on the 6-3 aggregate.Last week, Gamba Osaka had prevailed 3-1 in the South Korean capital.FC Seoul needed to win by at least three goals Wednesday to reach the quarters but Gamba Osaka had other ideas. Brazilian forw

SoccerMay 27, 2015

Police investigating basketball coach over match-fixing allegations

Police said Tuesday they're investigating an active professional basketball coach over match-fixing allegations.   Seoul police said the coach, Chun Chang-jin of the Anyang KGC in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), allegedly bet against his own team and inserted bench players in the second half of games to ensure the team would lose.   Police said they suspect Chun, 52, of placing illegal bets on five games between February and March while he was coaching another KBL team, the Busan KT Sonicboo

More SportsMay 26, 2015