Premier League Golden Boot winner Son Heung-min receives hero's welcome home

With the shining Golden Boot in tow, Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min received a hero's welcome home on Tuesday.    Son arrived at Incheon International Airport with dozens of fans celebrating his historic Premier League scoring title.    In the season finale on Sunday, Son scored twice in the second half of a 5-0 win over Norwich City, finishing tied for the league lead with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool at 23 goals. In the top English competition, the Go

SoccerMay 24, 2022

Veteran hitters closing in on milestones in KBO

A pair of former major leaguers plying their trade back in South Korea will be closing in on offensive milestones this week. Kim Hyun-soo of the LG Twins is six hits away from becoming the 16th player in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history to reach 2,000 career hits. With seven more RBIs, KT Wiz slugger Park Byung-ho will join 20 others in the 1,000-RBI club. Kim, a two-time batting champion who led the KBO in hits in 2008 and 2009, has long been destined for a place among all-time hits le

BaseballMay 24, 2022

Tottenham to take on Sevilla in 2nd summer exhibition match in S. Korea

Tottenham Hotspur announced Tuesday they will face Sevilla FC in the second of their two exhibition matches in South Korea this summer. Tottenham, featuring the reigning Golden Boot winner from South Korea, Son Heung-min, said their game against the Spanish club will kick off at 8 p.m. on July 16 at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Tottenham had announced in April they will take on an All-Star team of the K League players in their first exhibition match on Jul

SoccerMay 24, 2022

[Newsmaker] Is Son the best footballer S. Korea has ever produced?

With Son Heung-min becoming the first Asian player ever to win the Golden Boot in Premier League history, debate about the best soccer player South Korea has ever produced seems all but obsolete. Joining the Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 as the 13th player in the country’s history to play in one of the world’s top soccer leagues, Son had exceeded expectations by becoming the lead goal-getter of the English league on Sunday. The 29-year-old shares the coveted trophy with Mohamed Salah o

SoccerMay 23, 2022

S. Korea coach predicts 'most difficult training camp' ahead of June World Cup tuneups

In normal times, it would be difficult enough for South Korea to take on Brazil, world No. 1 in men's football and a team that the Taeguk Warriors haven't beaten in more than two decades. But these aren't normal times for head coach Paulo Bento and his 20th-ranked South Korea. The team will be missing a few mainstays to injuries, including sturdy center back Kim Min-jae and playmaking midfielder Lee Jae-sung. With South Korea set to host Brazil on June 2 as the first of four frien

SoccerMay 23, 2022

Coach sticks to familiar faces for World Cup tuneups amid injuries

South Korea will mostly roll with familiar names as they host four friendly matches next month in preparation for this year's FIFA World Cup. Head coach Paulo Bento unveiled a 28-man roster for the men's national team Monday ahead of June matches. They will host Brazil on June 2, Chile on June 6 and Paraguay on June 10. South Korea are also set to play on June 14, likely against an African opponent. The Korea Football Association had tried to schedule a match against Argentina, but tho

SoccerMay 23, 2022

S. Koreans out of contention at PGA Championship as Lee Kyoung-hoon ties for 41st

South Korea's Lee Kyoung-hoon tied for 41st place at the second major tournament of the men's golf season, finishing as the top player from the country. Lee shot a final round of two-over 72 at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday (local time), for a four-day total of five-over 285. Lee hadn't made the cut at his five previous major appearances. This time, fresh off a win at the AT&T Byron Nelson the week prior, Lee opened with a solid

GolfMay 23, 2022

With historic Golden Boot, Son Heung-min cements case as greatest S. Korean footballer ever

This is no longer a controversial thing to say, and it really shouldn't have been for some time now: Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur may just be the GOAT in South Korean football history, as in, the greatest of all time. The 29-year-old further cemented his case by becoming the first Asian player to win the Golden Boot in Premier League history. Son grabbed a brace in a 5-0 victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road in Norwich, England, on Sunday (local time), finishing the season with 23

SoccerMay 23, 2022

Son Heung-min becomes 1st Asian scoring champion in Premier League history

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean attacker Son Heung-min has become the first Asian player to win the scoring title in the Premier League, the latest piece of history for a player who has made a career out of setting records and milestones. Son scored twice in Tottenham's 5-0 rout of Norwich City at Carrow Road in Norwich, England, on Sunday (local time), and finished the 2021-2022 season with a career-high 23 goals. Son shared the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, who scored

SoccerMay 23, 2022

K League 1 champions Jeonbuk looking to extend undefeated run vs. pesky underdogs

A quick glance at the K League 1 tables will show Ulsan Hyundai FC leading the pack by eight points after 13 matches. That lead seems comfortable enough, but Ulsan players are probably hearing the footsteps of five-time defending champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who have climbed into third place with 22 points, on the strength of an eight-match undefeated run. Jeonbuk will look to close that gap further on the weekend, while Ulsan, runners-up to Jeonbuk in each of the past three seasons, will t

SoccerMay 20, 2022

Son Heung-min chasing Premier League Golden Boot in season finale

Throughout his Premier League career with Tottenham Hotspur that began in 2015, South Korean star Son Heung-min has been breaking records and setting milestones. Son will have a chance to make more history when the Premier League draws to a conclusion on the weekend, as he will try to become the first Asian-born player to lead the league in goals. With one match left this season against Norwich City on Sunday afternoon in Norwich, England, Son is in second place in the Golden Boot race with 21 g

SoccerMay 20, 2022

KBO-leading SSG Landers in for tough week against contenders

The SSG Landers have spent the entire 2022 South Korean baseball season so far in first place. Their throne will face a serious challenge this week, with a pair of three-game sets on the horizon against clubs right below them in the standings. The Landers went 2-4 last week in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the first time they failed to play at least .500 ball in a full week since the season began on April 2. The Landers' suddenly-shaky bullpen will be tested in a midweek series against

BaseballMay 17, 2022

Family affair: Lee Kyoung-hoon celebrates 2nd career PGA Tour win in front of baby daughter, parents

On May 16, 2021, South Korean golfer Lee Kyoung-hoon picked up his first career PGA Tour title at AT&T Byron Nelson in Texas, with his pregnant wife, Yu Joo-yeon, watching. Almost exactly one year later, on Sunday, Lee defended his trophy at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. This time, Lee did so with the newest member of his family, the 10-month-old daughter Celine Yu-na, and also his mother and father on hand. "It's an amazing feeling. It still feels like a dream," Lee, 30, sai

GolfMay 16, 2022

S. Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon defends PGA Tour title in Texas

South Korean Lee Kyoung-hoon has successfully defended a PGA Tour title in Texas, holding off former world No. 1 Jordan Spieth for his second career victory. Lee shot a bogey-free round of nine-under 63 in the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, on Sunday (local time). Lee's day featured seven birdies and an eagle. At 26-under 262, Lee beat Spieth by one stroke. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, the 2021 Masters champion, was another stroke back at 24-under.

GolfMay 16, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin solid in return from injury

The Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin has marked his return from injury with the best outing of the young season. Ryu was charged with one earned run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Saturday (local time). That lone run came via a leadoff home run by Yandy Diaz in the bottom first, and Ryu held the Rays to three more hits the rest of the way. It was Ryu's third start of this season but first since Apri

BaseballMay 15, 2022

K League's bottom feeders set for crucial showdown

The two worst clubs in South Korean football this year will collide for their second meeting of the season this weekend, as they both desperately seek to move out of the relegation zone. Suwon Samsung Bluewings will host Seongnam FC at 7 p.m. Saturday at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul. Seongnam are bringing up the rear in the K League 1 this year, stuck in 12th place with five points through 11 matches. They also have the league's worst goal differential with -15,

SoccerMay 13, 2022

Tottenham's Son Heung-min nets 21st goal in derby win over Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has scored in his third consecutive match, helping his club to a crucial late-season victory while moving within a goal of the Premier League lead in the process. Son scored in the 47th minute in Tottenham's 3-0 victory over Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Thursday (local time). The South Korean star also set up a first-half penalty, converted by Harry Kane, after Cedric Soares fouled him in the area. Son now has a new career-high 21 goals in t

SoccerMay 13, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin to return from injury on weekend

The Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin is scheduled to return to the mound after missing the past few weeks with left arm problems. Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters in New York on Tuesday (local time), before a game against the Yankees, that Ryu was on track to start against the Tampa Bay Rays on the road Saturday. The game begins 6:10 p.m. Saturday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, or 7:10 a.m. Sunday (Korean time). Ryu was placed on the 10-day injur

BaseballMay 11, 2022

Ascendant high jumper, swimmer among athletes forced to put Asiad dreams on hold

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok is enjoying the best stretch of his career. He captured his first world indoor title in March by clearing 2.34 meters. Woo also rose to the top of the 2022 outdoor season rankings by jumping 2.32 meters at a South Korean event last Wednesday. These performances came on the heels of Woo's fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. It was the highest placement by a South Korean track and field athlete at any Olympics. Woo appeared to be peaking j

More SportsMay 9, 2022

K League middle class gets crowded as Ulsan open up large lead at top

With less than a third of the K League 1 season in the books, it may be too early to say Ulsan Hyundai FC will run away with the title and everyone else will be playing for second place. It just seems that way, though. Ulsan bounced back from their first loss of the season Thursday by beating Gangwon FC 3-1 on Sunday. At 26 points, they have opened up a seven-point cushion on three clubs directly below them. Pohang Steelers climbed to second place by edging out Seongnam FC 1-0 on Sunday. Jeju Un

SoccerMay 9, 2022