New Napoli defender Kim Min-jae makes strong preseason debut

South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has made a solid first impression in his preseason debut with Napoli. The 25-year-old center back played the first half of Napoli's 1-1 draw with the Spanish side RCD Mallorca at Stadio Teofilo Patini in Castel di Sangro, Italy, on Sunday (local time). Napoli took a 1-0 lead eight minutes into the friendly match thanks to Victor Osimhen's penalty, and Kim and the rest of Napoli's defense corps neutralized Mallorca's offense. Kim signed with t

SoccerAug. 1, 2022

S. Korean defender Kim Min-jae signs with Italian club Napoli

South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has joined Italian football club Napoli. In a statement released Wednesday (local time), the club confirmed the signing of the Korean center back from Turkish club Fenerbahce in a bid to strengthen its defense. But it did not elaborate on the detailed terms of the contract. Kim becomes the third Korean footballer to play in the Serie A, following Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-woo. The 25-year-old moved to Fenerbahce in 2021 from Chinese club Beijing Guoan, where h

SoccerJuly 28, 2022

Korea lose to Japan to finish runner-up at men's E. Asian football tournament

South Korea fell to Japan 3-0 to finish runner-up at an East Asian men's football tournament on Wednesday.    South Korea conceded three goals in the second half in their last match of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship held at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan.    It is the second consecutive defeat to Japan following the 3-0 loss in a friendly last year.    South Korea wrapped up the four-nation tournament with two wins and one

SoccerJuly 27, 2022

S. Korea to host 1st ATP tennis tournament in 26 years

South Korea will host a tournament on the top men's tennis tour for the first time in more than a quarter century this fall. The ATP Tour announced Friday that Seoul will host the Korea Open from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 at Olympic Park Tennis Center. It will be the tour's first event in South Korea since 1996. The South Korean capital hosted an ATP-level event from 1987 to 1996. The city has since staged only tournaments on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour. The ATP said the Korea Open is

More SportsJuly 22, 2022

Incheon to host ex-MLB stars in home run derby in Sept.

South Korea's western city of Incheon will host former major league sluggers and celebrities in a global home run derby tour in September, the event's organizers said Thursday. "FTX MLB Home Run Derby X" will stop in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul, on Sept. 17. London hosted the inaugural event on July 9, and the tour will also visit Mexico City in October. Major League Baseball (MLB) announced the birth of the new bracket-style competition in March. It features fo

BaseballJuly 21, 2022

KBO season resumes as Landers look to run away with pennant

The SSG Landers have been at the top of South Korean baseball all season, and as the second half of the 2022 campaign resumes Friday, they will try to do the unthinkable: going wire to wire to win the pennant. The Landers (57-26-3) have already set a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) record by spending 86 games and 104 days in first place from the season's start. No club has ever spent an entire season at the top in the league's 41-year history. The Landers, currently riding a six-game

BaseballJuly 21, 2022

S. Korea beat China to kickoff East Asian men's football tournament

South Korea defeated China 3-0 on Wednesday to begin their quest for the fourth consecutive East Asian men’s football title. Forward Cho Gue-sung and midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon had a goal apiece at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, while South Korea also got an own goal from China in their first match of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship. South Korea, world No. 28, now have 21 wins, 13 draws and two losses against the 78th-ranked China. South Korea will

SoccerJuly 20, 2022

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok stands tall on podium with world championship silver

Twenty-four hours after setting a South Korean athletics record with his world championship silver medal, high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok created another piece of history. Woo was feted with two other medalists during the official medal ceremony of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Tuesday (local time). On Monday, Woo grabbed silver by clearing 2.35 meters. It was the best performance by a South Korean athlete in any discipline at the world championships. Mutaz

More SportsJuly 20, 2022

Long drought over, S. Korean star Chun In-gee goes for 2nd straight LPGA major in France

After ending a title drought that had stretched for nearly four years, South Korean LPGA star Chun In-gee will take aim at her second straight major title in France this week. Chun headlines the 20-deep South Korean contingent at the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France, starting Thursday. Chun won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June, for her third career major and her fourth title overall. It was also Chun's first LPGA win since October

GolfJuly 20, 2022

[Newsmaker] High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok captures silver at world championships

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has grabbed the silver medal at the world championships, falling just shy of a history-making title on his sport's biggest stage. By matching his own national record at 2.35 meters, Woo finished as the runner-up to Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar at the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Monday (local time). Woo, 26, was trying to become the first South Korean to capture an outdoor world title in any track and field event. Woo

More SportsJuly 19, 2022

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok eyeing history at world championships

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has already made plenty of South Korean athletics history, with his first career world indoor title from March this year being the biggest feather in his cap so far. The ascendant athlete will look to add an outdoor world title this time. Woo will take part in men's high jump at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. The qualification phase is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. Friday local time, or 2:10 a.m. Saturday in South Korea. Of the 32 jumpers in the q

More SportsJuly 15, 2022

Behind strong pitching, Landers run table in KBO in 1st half

As they enter the midseason break for the 2022 South Korean baseball season, the SSG Landers find themselves exactly where they started the proceedings three months ago: first place. The Landers defeated the Kiwoom Heroes 4-1 on Thursday night to arrive at the All-Star break in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on a six-game winning streak. At 57-26-3 (wins-losses-ties), they lead the Heroes (54-32-1) by 4.5 games. The Landers have been in first place for 103 days and 86 games since the star

BaseballJuly 15, 2022

K League forward shines vs. Tottenham, coach touts Europe chances

Representing a team of South Korean league All-Stars, forward Cho Gue-sung netted an impressive goal against Tottenham Hotspur in their exhibition match Wednesday night. And Cho's coach thinks the 24-year-old player is good enough to score against European clubs on a regular basis in games that count. Cho headed in Team K League's first goal in their 6-3 loss to Spurs at Seoul World Cup Stadium. In the dying seconds of the first half, Aleksandar Palocevic found Cho with a picture-perfe

SoccerJuly 14, 2022

Lions suffer 10th straight loss with veteran closer's latest collapse

Every defeat stings for baseball teams during a long losing streak, but for the Samsung Lions, their 10th straight "L" from Tuesday night probably hurt more than others. They were three outs away from ending their skid at nine games, with veteran closer Oh Seung-hwan taking the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning against the KT Wiz to protect a 3-2 lead. Just minutes later, the Wiz walked off with a 4-3 victory, courtesy of back-to-back solo home runs by Bae Jung-dae and Anthony Al

BaseballJuly 13, 2022

KBO-leading Landers acquire new pitcher Morimando, replace Nova

The SSG Landers announced Tuesday they have newly acquired left-hander Shawn Morimando, replacing him with injured former big leaguer Ivan Nova in their rotation. The Landers, currently leading the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 55-26-3 (wins-losses-ties), signed Morimando at up to US$230,000 for the rest of the season -- with $180,000 in guaranteed salary and a maximum $50,000 up for grabs in incentives. Morimando had been pitching in for the CTBC Brothers in the Chinese Professional Base

BaseballJuly 12, 2022

S. Korea open to selecting MLB players of Korean descent for WBC: official

As South Korea gears up for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) next spring, the country will keep its doors open for foreign-born players of Korean descent, a senior national team official has declared. Youm Kyoung-youb, a former manager and general manager in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), was named the national team technical director for the WBC on Monday. He will work with six other members on the technical committee in searching for the national team manager and putting together a 28-

More SportsJuly 12, 2022

Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo voted KBO's top player for June

Lee Jung-hoo, the hitting machine of an outfielder for the Kiwoom Heroes, was named South Korean baseball's top player for June on Monday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Lee won the voting for the Player of the Month award over four other candidates. Lee collected 23 out of 31 votes from the media, and 195,776 out of 364,694 votes from fans. He scored 63.94 in converted voting points, easily beating Park Byung-ho of the KT Wiz (17.12 points). For June, Lee led the KBO with

BaseballJuly 11, 2022

S. Korean prospect Cho Se-hyuk wins boys' under-14 title at Wimbledon

South Korean tennis prospect Cho Se-hyuk has become the inaugural champion of the boys' 14 & under singles title at Wimbledon. Cho defeated Carel Aubriel Ngounoue of the United States in straight sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, in the final held at All England Club in London on Sunday (local time). The 14 & under event was contested for the first time this year. The boys' and girls' competitions are for players 18 or younger, and a South Korean player, Chung Hyeon, was the runner-up in the

More SportsJuly 11, 2022

Ex-Barca prospect Lee Seung-woo named to K League All-Star team vs. Tottenham

FC Barcelona youth player Lee Seung-woo, who has quickly emerged as one of the most popular players in his South Korean season, will headline a K League All-Star squad against the visiting Tottenham Hotspur next week. The top South Korean league unveiled the 24-man "Team K League" on Thursday, six days before the summer exhibition match against Tottenham at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The 12 K League 1 clubs sent two players each. Teams were all asked to submit a list of candidates first.

SoccerJuly 7, 2022

Veteran forward fitting right in with nat'l football team after long absence

PAJU -- Seven years can seem like an eternity in football, even longer than some players' entire career. It has been seven years since forward Park Eun-seon last played for the South Korean women's national team. Once a prolific scorer, Park has mostly been a forgotten figure since representing the country at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. So much has changed with the women's program over that time, with new head coach Colin Bell at the helm and working with up-and-coming p

SoccerJuly 7, 2022