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

Japan-born N. Korean football player joins top-division S. Korean club

An Byong-jun, a Japan-born football player who has represented North Korea internationally, has joined a top-tier South Korean club after spending the past three-plus seasons in the second division. Suwon Samsung Bluewings of the K League 1 announced Wednesday they have signed An to an 18-month contract, with an option for an additional term, plucking him from Busan IPark in the K League 2. Suwon added An, a two-time K League 2 MVP and scoring champion, had first trained with his new club on Tue

SoccerJuly 6, 2022

Pirates' Park Hoy-jun sent back to minors for 3rd time in 2022

The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean utility player Park Hoy-jun is going back to the minors, barely a month after getting called up for the second time this year. The Pirates optioned Park to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday (US local time), while reinstating a couple of players from the 10-day injured list. Park made the Opening Day roster in April but was demoted to the minors on April 22. He was called up on May 29 but was sent back down the very next day. The Pirates brought him back u

BaseballJuly 6, 2022

Key player's injury adds intrigue to battle for KBO postseason spots

An unfortunate injury to one of the best hitters in South Korean baseball is expected to turn an already compelling battle for postseason berths into an even more intriguing affair. The Kia Tigers have lost outfielder Socrates Brito for up to a month to a broken nose. The Dominican slugger took a fastball by SSG Landers starter Kim Kwang-hyun to the face during Saturday's game in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul. Brito went down in immediate pain and was taken to a local hospital.

BaseballJuly 4, 2022

K League-leading Ulsan looking to regroup as rivals make push

With their lead atop the South Korean football tables dwindling, Ulsan Hyundai FC will look for a bounce back in their midweek match against a team riding a rare winning streak. Ulsan will host Gangwon FC at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Ulsan are still licking their wounds after losing to Pohang Steelers 2-0 on Saturday. That loss, combined with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' 2-1 victory over Gimcheon Sangmu FC the same day, cut Ulsan

SoccerJuly 4, 2022

Rays' Choi Ji-man, Padres' Kim Ha-seong homer in victories

For the first time in Major League Baseball this season, two South Korean players have homered on the same day. Choi Ji-man of the Tampa Bay Rays smacked a solo home run in a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Hours later, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres belted a two-run shot to help the club to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA. Choi hadn't homered since June 18. Kim's drought had been even longer, as his last din

BaseballJuly 4, 2022

Jeonbuk closing in on Ulsan for K League lead

Ulsan Hyundai FC's lead atop the K League 1 tables shrank to five points on Saturday, with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, five-time defending champions, breathing hard down Ulsan's neck. Ulsan suffered a 2-0 loss to Pohang Steelers in their "East Coast Derby" on Saturday, while Jeonbuk rallied past Gimcheon Sangmu FC 2-1 the same day. Ulsan still lead the competition with 40 points but Jeonbuk have closed in on them with 35 points. Ulsan were in first place by 10 points entering t

SoccerJuly 3, 2022

FIFA's new offside technology to make World Cup debut in Qatar

FIFA announced Friday it will implement a new offside technology at this year's World Cup to help video match officials and on-field referees make faster and more accurate decisions.    Following a series of successful tests, FIFA's semiautomated offside technology (SAOT) will make its World Cup debut in Qatar in November.    The SAOT, which was tested at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup and 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, is an extension of the video assistant referee (VAR) system, curr

SoccerJuly 1, 2022

Pro golfer Lydia Ko to wed Hyundai Card chief‘s son

Lydia Ko, a Korean-born New Zealand professional golfer, is getting married with Chung Jun, Hyundai Card Vice Chairman Chung Tae-young’s youngest son. According to industry sources, Ko and Chung’s wedding ceremony is set to be held at Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul in Dec. 30. The two are reported to have been in a relationship for over two years. In August 2021, Ko uploaded a selfie with Chung on her Instagram story with the word “soon.” Ko was born in Seoul in

GolfJune 28, 2022

Newest LPGA major champion Chun In-gee climbs to No. 12 in world rankings

Fresh off her third career LPGA major title, South Korean golfer Chun In-gee has soared to No. 12 in the latest world rankings. Chun, crowned the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Maryland on Sunday, jumped 21 spots in the rankings announced Tuesday. That's Chun's highest position this season, and her first appearance inside the top 20 since February 2019. Chun started the 2022 season ranked 35th. Chun held off Minjee Lee of Australia and Lexi Thompson of the United States by one s

GolfJune 28, 2022

S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo bows out to Djokovic in 1st round at Wimble

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo lost to defending champion Novak Djokovic in the opening round of Wimbledon in London on Monday, battling the 20-time Grand Slam winner for nearly two and a half hours before running out of gas. Djokovic, world No. 3 going for his seventh Wimbledon title, defeated the 81st-ranked South Korean 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court at the All England Club in the English capital. Kwon has now dropped both of his matches against Djokovic. Kwon jumped out to an early lea

More SportsJune 28, 2022

Bears ready to cut bait on reigning KBO MVP

Nearing the halfway point in the 2022 South Korean baseball season, the Doosan Bears still find themselves out of the postseason picture. They snapped a three-game slide on Sunday but remained in seventh place in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 32-37-1 (wins-losses-ties), 1.5 games out of the fifth and final playoff spot. The Bears have played in each of the past seven Korean Series, and that record-setting streak will end this year without the Bears even reaching the postseason unless

BaseballJune 27, 2022

Ulsan held by cellar dwellers, unable to extend K League 1 lead

As they try to win their first South Korean football championship since 2005, Ulsan Hyundai FC know every match counts, even a seemingly meaningless one against an eminently beatable team in late June. And if this K League 1 season plays out like the past three years and Ulsan once again fall achingly short of the title, the scoreless draw against last-place Seongnam FC on Sunday will be the match that Ulsan will look back on and say, "We should've won it." Despite a 74-26 edge in

SoccerJune 27, 2022

S. Korean women hold Olympic champions Canada in football friendly

South Korea have collected a well-earned 0-0 draw against Olympic champions Canada in a women's football friendly match, their latest prep for an upcoming regional tournament and then the World Cup in 2023. Despite being outshot 13-3, world No. 18 South Korea held the sixth-ranked Canada without a goal at BMO Field in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Canada started attacking from early on, with Jordyn Huitema's header sailing just wide of the target on four minutes. In the 17th minute,

SoccerJune 27, 2022

Chun In-gee 'proud' to capture LPGA major after bout of depression

Even in her darkest moments, Chun In-gee never lost sight of her goal -- to return to the winner's circle on the LPGA Tour. The 27-year-old South Korean has finally accomplished that by capturing the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sunday (local time). The one-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson of the United States and Minjee Lee of Australia was Chun's third career LPGA major title and the fourth tour win overall -- but her first since October 2018. "G

GolfJune 27, 2022

[Newsmaker] S. Korean Chun In-gee wins 3rd career LPGA major

South Korean Chun In-gee has captured her third career LPGA major in Maryland, ending the country's drought in big tournaments at seven in the process. Chun won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in wire-to-wire fashion, as she closed out her victory with a final round of 3-over 75 at the Congressional Country Club's Blue Course in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sunday (local time). At 5-under 283 for the championship, Chun beat Lexi Thompson of the United States and Minjee Lee of Australia by one stroke

GolfJune 27, 2022

S. Korea finishes 6th in men's relay at swimming worlds with new nat'l record

Led by teen swimming star Hwang Sun-woo, South Korea has submitted its best-ever relay performance at the swimming world championships. Hwang, the reigning 200m freestyle silver medalist, joined Kim Woo-min, Lee Yoo-yeon and Lee Ho-joon for the sixth-place finish in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay at the FINA World Championships at Duna Arena in Budapest on Thursday (local time). They set a new national record with a time of 7:06.93, breaking their own mark set merely hours earlier. This w

More SportsJune 24, 2022

Star-crossed outfielder, downtrodden club stuck in long futility streak

Records are made to be broken in sports, even some dubious ones. In the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this season, a particularly hard-luck hitter is closing in on a futility record, while a perennial punching bag of a team has already made some history, albeit for the wrong reasons. Kim Hun-gon of the Samsung Lions is looking for his first hit since May 27, 20 games ago. By going 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 6-0 loss to the Kiwoom Heroes, Kim is now hitless in his past 43 plate appearances.

BaseballJune 23, 2022