Two S. Koreans tie for 4th at LPGA season's 1st major

South Korean golfers Kim A-lim and Yang Hee-young have fallen short of winning the first major championship of the 2023 LPGA season. Kim and Yang finished tied for fourth place at the Chevron Championship near Houston, Texas, on Sunday, at eight-under 280. Kim shot an even 72 with three birdies against three bogeys at the par-72 Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, while Yang carded a 73 with three birdies and four bogeys. They finished two strokes out of the playoff be

GolfApril 24, 2023

S. Korea to host Peru, El Salvador in men's football friendlies in June

South Korea will face Peru and El Salvador in men's football friendly matches at home in June, the sport's national governing body announced Friday. The Korea Football Association said South Korea, world No. 27, will first take on 21st-ranked Peru on June 16. Then they will host world No. 75 El Salvador on June 20. Venues and kickoff times will be determined later, the KFA added. This will be South Korea's third meeting against Peru. South Korea had a draw and a loss in their two

SoccerApril 21, 2023

Under caretaker boss, Suwon Samsung Bluewings seek 1st win of K League season

With their season on the brink after a seven-match winless skid at the onset, Suwon Samsung Bluewings will be chasing their first win of 2023 under a caretaker manager this weekend. One of the K League 1's most prestigious and proud franchises, Suwon Samsung find themselves in last place among 12 clubs this season, with two draws and five losses. This is the longest winless streak to start a season in the club's history. The previous record was a six-match skid at the start of 2017. Bu

SoccerApril 21, 2023

Veteran closer Oh Seung-hwan removed from role amid early season woes

Samsung Lions reliever Oh Seung-hwan, the all-time saves leader in South Korean baseball, has been removed from his closer role in the midst of his early-season struggles. Lions manager Park Jin-man told reporters Thursday that Oh will now be pitching in relief, with left-hander Lee Seung-hyun taking over as closer. "I think he has lost a bit of confidence," Park said before the Lions took on the Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. "He hasn't been making pitches. We h

BaseballApril 20, 2023

Ko Jin-young says 'everything is perfect' ahead of LPGA season's 1st major

Having put a nagging wrist injury behind her, South Korean LPGA star Ko Jin-young thinks she couldn't be in a better spot as she gears up for the first major championship of the season. "Mentally and physically, everything is perfect," Ko said at a press conference ahead of the Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods, just outside Houston, Texas, on Wednesday. The competition tees off Thursday at the par-72 Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. "This course is not easy, b

GolfApril 20, 2023

Pirates' Choi Ji-man to miss 8 weeks with Achilles injury

The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean infielder Choi Ji-man will miss two months with a left Achilles strain. The Pirates announced Wednesday that while Choi will need rest and rehab, his condition will not require surgery. The 31-year-old will be wearing a walking boot for several weeks. Choi was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, retroactive to the previous day, with what the Pirates called left posterior ankle discomfort. He first suffered the Achilles strain during spring tra

BaseballApril 20, 2023

KBO club Eagles release injured pitcher Smith

The Hanwha Eagles have cut bait on injured pitcher Burch Smith after one abbreviated start. Prior to their game Wednesday evening, the Eagles said they asked the Korea Baseball Organization to place the American right-hander on waivers. "We will find a new foreign pitcher as quickly as possible," the Eagles said. Smith's first KBO season lasted just 2 2/3 innings. He started against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 1, the first day of the season, but took himself out of the game after f

BaseballApril 20, 2023

Ko Jin-young to continue LPGA Hall of Fame pursuit at season's 1st major

With her career back on track thanks to a long-awaited victory in March, South Korean LPGA star Ko Jin-young will continue her pursuit of a place in the Hall of Fame at the season's first major championship this week. The Chevron Championship tees off on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods, just outside Houston, Texas, on Thursday. For its first five decades, the tournament, while undergoing several sponsorship changes, had been played at the Mission Hills Countr

GolfApril 19, 2023

Kim Min-jae, Napoli gone from Champions League in quarterfinals

The last remaining South Korean player in the top European club football tournament helplessly watched his club's earlier-than-expected elimination. With stalwart defender Kim Min-jae suspended, the Italian league-leading Napoli got knocked out of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, following a 1-1 draw against rivals AC Milan in the second leg at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy, on Tuesday. Kim had picked up his third yellow card of the tournament during a 1-0 lo

SoccerApril 19, 2023

Upstart Daejeon beat Ulsan to spoil bid for K League history

Seven matches into their first season in the top South Korean football league since 2015, Daejeon Hana Citizen FC are making serious noise. Daejeon defeated K League 1-leading Ulsan Hyundai FC 2-1 at home Sunday, halting Ulsan's win streak at six matches. With one more win, Ulsan, the defending K League 1 champions, would have tied the league record for the most consecutive victories to kick off a season. Instead, Daejeon made sure they wouldn't allow Ulsan to celebrate a win on their

SoccerApril 17, 2023

Son Heung-min scores in 2nd consecutive Premier League match with natl. team coach on hand

Fresh off a milestone goal in the Premier League, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has now scored in consecutive matches for the first time this season. Son netted his eighth goal of the Premier League season against AFC Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday. Son had scored his 100th Premier League goal in his previous match, becoming the first Asian player to reach the century mark, and now sits two away from reach the double figures in Premier League goals for the se

SoccerApril 16, 2023

K League-leading Ulsan looking to match winning streak record

Having captured their first six matches of 2023 in the K League 1, Ulsan Hyundai FC are one victory away from equaling the longest winning streak to start a season. Standing between first-place Ulsan and the record books this weekend will be Daejeon Hana Citizen, a newly promoted team boasting the league's most productive offense this year. The showdown between the two early contenders will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul.

SoccerApril 14, 2023

Stars lift S. Korea to 2nd place at World Team Trophy in Figure Skating

Behind career-best performances by its two biggest stars, South Korea ranked second after the first day of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Team Trophy in Figure Skating on Thursday. Lee Hae-in, the reigning world silver medalist in the women's singles, won the short program with a personal-best 76.90 points at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo. By finishing first in her discipline, Lee scored 12 ranking points for South Korea. Her previous personal-best score of 73.62 points

More SportsApril 13, 2023

Teenager sets KBO velocity record for S. Korean pitchers

Moon Dong-ju, a second-year pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles, has set a velocity record in South Korean baseball. In Wednesday's game against the Kia Tigers, Moon threw a fastball measured at 160.1 kph, the fastest pitch ever by a South Korean pitcher in the Korea Baseball Organization since pitch tracking began a dozen years ago. The league's official statistics provider for the KBO, Sports 2i, has been measuring pitch velocities using a pitch tracking system since 2011. Moon is only the

BaseballApril 13, 2023

Pirates' Bae Ji-hwan, Choi Ji-man become 1st Korean teammates to homer in same MLB game

Bae Ji-hwan and Choi Ji-man have made a piece of major league history for the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming the first set of South Korean teammates to homer in the same game. Bae blasted a three-run, walk-off home run off Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly in the bottom of the ninth inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, capping off a 7-4 victory for the Bucs after they'd blown a 4-2 lead in the top of the ninth. In the sixth inning of the same game, Choi had homered off starter Cristi

BaseballApril 12, 2023

Bromance brewing between teammates after reunion

Born three years apart, Doosan Bears catcher Yang Eui-ji and third baseman Heo Kyoung-min played baseball on the same elementary school team. Then as teammates in the Korea Baseball Organization, they enjoyed massive success together, winning Korean Series titles for the Bears in 2015 and 2016. Yang bolted for another club, the NC Dinos, in free agency after the 2018 season. Heo won his third Korean Series ring without Yang in 2019, while Yang took the Dinos to their first title the very next ye

GolfApril 12, 2023

Pirates' Choi Ji-man goes deep for 2nd straight game

After going six games without a home run, Choi Ji-man of the Pittsburgh Pirates has now homered in back-to-back games. Batting third as designated hitter, Choi blasted a solo home run off Houston Astros starter Cristian Javier during the bottom of the sixth inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Choi's dinger broke a 2-2 tie, and the Pirates took a 4-2 lead after the sixth inning. At full count, Choi got a 92.2 mph four-seam fastball at the top of the strike zone and drove it 418 feet into

GolfApril 12, 2023

S. Korea makes roster change for LPGA intl. team event

South Korea has made a roster change ahead of an eight-country match play competition in women's golf scheduled for May. The LPGA announced Tuesday that South Korea is one of three nations to bring in new players, along with Japan and China, for the 2023 International Crown, which will run from May 4 to 7 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. Each of the eight countries will be represented by its top four players on the world rankings. And the countries' seedings and their four qualifi

GolfApril 12, 2023

Pirates' Choi Ji-man hits 1st homer of season

Seven games into the 2023 season, Choi Ji-man of the Pittsburgh Pirates finally has his first home run with his new team. Batting fifth as the designated hitter, Choi belted a solo home run off Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez in the bottom of the second inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Monday. The ball traveled 407 feet with an exit velocity of 108.3 mph. Choi fell behind 0-2 in the count before battling to a full count. Choi then crushed a middle-middle fastball, measured at 94.9 mph,

BaseballApril 11, 2023

Baseball league unveils new-look committee for natl. team selection, development

The South Korean baseball league on Monday introduced a new-look committee tasked with naming national teams and developing prospects for future international competitions. The Korea Baseball Organization said its old technical committee will give way to the competitiveness enhancement committee, which will be responsible for a "fair and transparent" player selection process and for development of national teams. The new body, headed by former Kia Tigers general manager Cho Kye-hyeon,

BaseballApril 10, 2023