KBO celebrates 40th anniversary with youngest franchise looking to repeat as champions

The top professional baseball league in South Korea will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, with the league's youngest franchise chasing their second straight crown while pitchers and batters across the league try to adjust to the expanded strike zone. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) had its inaugural season in March 1982 and it will turn 40 on Saturday, with the defending Korean Series champions KT Wiz hosting the Samsung Lions on Saturday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 45 kilometer

BaseballMarch 30, 2022

With World Cup place booked, S. Korea coach still sees final qualifier as 'very important'

Even with South Korea having already secured their place in this year's FIFA World Cup, head coach Paulo Bento feels his team's final qualifier against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will still be "a very important game." South Korea will enter Tuesday's match against the UAE as the top seed in Group A of the final Asian World Cup qualification round. And wanting to see his team finish in that exact same spot, Bento said he won't give equal playing time to everyone just because some pl

SoccerMarch 29, 2022

S. Korea takes silver behind Switzerland at women's curling worlds

South Korea has claimed the silver medal at the women's curling world championships, falling to Switzerland in a hard-fought final but still posting the country's best-ever finish at the annual competition. Led by skip Kim Eun-jung, South Korea lost to Switzerland 7-6 in the gold medal game at the World Women's Curling Championship in Prince George, Canada, on Sunday (local time). Switzerland scored three points in the second end, and South Korea never led. This was South Korea's first appearanc

More SportsMarch 28, 2022

S. Korean rookie An Narin comes up shy of maiden LPGA win

South Korean rookie An Narin will have to wait for at least another tournament for her maiden LPGA title, after just missing the playoff in her third start of the season. An finished the JTBC Classic in third place at 15-under 273 at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California, on Sunday (local time). She ended up one shot out of the playoff between Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand. An, a former Korean tour player, won the LPGA qualifying tournament in December to ea

GolfMarch 28, 2022

S. Korea looking to close out World Cup qualifying on winning note vs. UAE

Sitting pretty atop their group with a spot in this year's FIFA World Cup already secured, South Korea will look to close out the regional qualifying phase on a high note against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week. South Korea will take on the UAE at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday (local time), or 10:45 p.m. Tuesday (Seoul time). It will be the last matchday in Group A of the final Asian qualification round for the World Cup. South Korea currently lead the group with 23 p

SoccerMarch 28, 2022

S. Korean men disappoint at figure skating worlds

South Korean Lee Si-hyeong finished well out of contention at the figure skating world championships in France, while his countryman Cha Jun-hwan withdrew because of problems with his boots. Lee finished 18th in the men's singles competition at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, on Saturday (local time). He earned 138.71 points in Saturday's free skate, after scoring 85.34 points in the short program from Thursday. Cha, who had been i

More SportsMarch 27, 2022

Cha Jun-hwan well out of contention at figure skating worlds after subpar short program

Cha Jun-hwan's dreams of winning his first world championships medal went up in smoke on his first day of competition in France. The South Korean found himself well out of contention in 17th place after earning only 82.43 points in a mistake-filled short program at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, on Thursday (local time). The 20-year-old fell more than 17 points shy of his personal best set at the Beijing Winter Olympics in Februar

More SportsMarch 25, 2022

Back from MLB, Landers' pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun is all smiles

Back home after two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun just wants to have fun. Pitching pro ball for 15 years has apparently provided the 33-year-old with a fresh perspective on his career. Make no mistake: Kim still takes his craft seriously, with his signature, easy smile often masking his intensity and competitive streak just beneath the surface. It's just that he wants to start smelling the roses more often. "I think baseball is supposed to be fun

BaseballMarch 23, 2022

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin to make spring training debut on 35th birthday

Toronto Blue Jays' South Korean starter Ryu Hyun-jin will make his first spring training appearance on his 35th birthday in Florida this week. The Blue Jays have announced Ryu as their starter against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Florida, at 1:07 p.m. Friday (local time), or 2:07 a.m. Saturday (Seoul time). The left-hander will turn 35 that day. Ryu will be the last among five projected Toronto starters to take the mound in spring training. Jose Berrios, Alek Manoah and Yusei Ki

BaseballMarch 23, 2022

KBO club manager to slumping slugger: 'trust yourself'

INCHEON -- When the SSG Landers signed former major league infielder Kevin Cron in December, they probably didn't think he'd be hitting below the Mendoza Line about halfway through the preseason. With the start of the regular season less than two weeks away, Cron is batting 3-for-19 (.158) with a home run and three RBIs in seven games in his first spring in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The preseason will wrap up next Tuesday, with the regular season starting on April 2. Cron

BaseballMarch 22, 2022

S. Korea trying to exorcise Iran demons, move into top spot in World Cup qualifying group

The last time South Korea defeated Iran in men's football was so long ago that Son Heung-min, the current national team captain and a transcendent star, was a raw 18-year-old who remained glued to the bench. Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, two legends of the game long since retired, played the entire 120 minutes, as the teams needed an extra 30 minutes to determine the winner. The 1-0 South Korean victory came in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January 2

SoccerMarch 22, 2022

Son Heung-min grabs brace in Tottenham's win over West Ham

For the first time this season, Son Heung-min has scored twice in a match for Tottenham Hotspur. Son's brace lifted Tottenham past West Ham United 3-1 in a Premier League contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). Son found the back of the net in the 24th and again in the 88th minutes. With 13 goals this season, Son climbed into a tie for second place in the Premier League with Diogo Jota of Liverpool. They are seven back of another Liverpool star, Mohamed Salah. Son'

SoccerMarch 21, 2022

S. Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok makes history with world indoor title

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok captured a historic gold medal at the world indoor championships in Belgrade on Sunday, becoming the first athlete from the country to win a world title in any track and field event. Woo cleared 2.34 meters to top the field of 12 jumpers at the World Athletics Indoor Championships at Stark Arena in the Serbian capital. Loic Gasch of Switzerland took the silver at 2.31m, while Hamish Kerr of New Zealand and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy shared a bronze. The

SportsMarch 20, 2022

Teen wins KYGA youth golf tournament

Hyunkyung Jeong, an 11th grader at the Chadwick International School, has won the KYGA 17th Ballon Blanc National Youth Golf Tournament hosted by the Korea Youth Golf Association last week. Jeong, also known as Ellena, ranked first with a 1-under par in the tournament held at the Baekje Country Club in South Chungcheong Province on March 14-15. Her win is more meaningful considering she had pulled through windy and foggy weather conditions during the tournament, the association said. Jeong

GolfMarch 20, 2022

Embattled ex-MLB player Kang Jung-ho rejoins KBO club Heroes

Former major leaguer Kang Jung-ho, whose once promising career was derailed by a series of off-field problems, is returning to baseball. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday that they have signed their former All-Star shortstop to a one-year pact, extending a lifeline to a player who had abandoned a comeback bid two years ago. The Heroes said Kang will make the league minimum salary of 30 million won (US$24,750). Ko Hyung-wook, general manager of the Hero

BaseballMarch 18, 2022

Figure skater pulls out of worlds due to COVID-19

South Korean figure skater Kim Ye-lim has withdrawn from the upcoming world championships after testing positive for COVID-19, the sport's national federation said Friday. An official with the Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Kim received a positive result from her polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test Thursday night and will not be able to skate at the world championships opening next Wednesday in Montpellier, France. Kim will have to isolate at home for seven days. The KSU official added that Lee

More SportsMarch 18, 2022

2 K League clubs bitten by virus bug heading into Week 6

Two South Korean football clubs that faced each other last week have been struggling to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus inside their locker rooms, with another matchweek on the horizon. Ulsan Hyundai FC extended their lead atop the K League 1 tables by beating FC Seoul 2-1 last Friday. In the ensuing days, both clubs have seen multiple COVID-19 cases pop up. Ulsan had to play a playoff match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League on Tuesday severely undermanned --

SoccerMarch 18, 2022

Heroes' manager not yet concerned about Yasiel Puig, on and off the field

As one of the biggest names to sign with a South Korean baseball club, former National League All-Star Yasiel Puig is off to a slow start in his first preseason for the Kiwoom Heroes while also causing minor controversy off the field. Though he has gone 1-for-9 with three strikeouts in his first four games prior to Thursday, the Cuban slugger hasn't seemed fazed by his sluggish performance. Earlier this week, Puig uploaded a video of himself dancing, maskless, in an alley in Itaewon, a popular n

BaseballMarch 17, 2022

K League cellar-dwelling Seongnam FC sign forward Lee Jong-ho

Mired in the bottom of the K League 1 tables, Seongnam FC signed veteran forward Lee Jong-ho in free agency Wednesday, tasking the 30-year-old with kick-starting a dormant offense. Lee will begin his 12th professional season with his fourth club and will join the only winless club so far in the K League 1 this season. With two draws and three losses, Seongnam FC sit two points back of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in last place and have scored three times in those five games. Lee was a longtime franchi

SoccerMarch 16, 2022

Provisional Asian Games baseball roster to be announced in April

South Korea's provisional roster for the baseball competition at this fall's Asian Games will be unveiled in early April, the country's professional league office said Wednesday, with the final roster expected to follow in early May. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), which oversees professional competition, said it will work closely with the Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA), the amateur governing body, in putting together the preliminary national team. The Korean Sport & Olymp

BaseballMarch 16, 2022