Pirates' Park Hoy-jun to leave for spring training Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean player Park Hoy-jun is scheduled to leave for the United States on Tuesday for spring training, having cleared all medical and administrative hurdles, his agency here said. An official with A•Spec Corp. said Park, a 25-year-old utility man, had recently tested positive for COVID-19 but had completed his mandatory quarantine. The official said it was a delay in getting Park's work permit processed, not his bout with the virus, that had kept the player from re

BaseballMarch 15, 2022

S. Korea coach predicts 'difficult game' vs. Iran with top seed at stake in World Cup qualifying group

With one box checked, Paulo Bento has quickly shifted his focus to the next goal to achieve. Under his tutelage, South Korea have already booked a ticket to Qatar for this year's FIFA World Cup with two qualifying matches left. Few would have batted an eye if Bento had chosen to take his foot off the pedal for the rest of the current qualifying campaign. Instead, Bento on Monday called up most of his usual suspects in a bid to win his team's final two qualifying matches this month. South Korea w

SoccerMarch 14, 2022

With World Cup berth secured, top names still join S. Korea for final 2 qualifiers

Even with a World Cup spot secured, South Korea will not mess around in their next two qualifying matches, with many of their biggest stars named to the national team Monday. Head coach Paulo Bento unveiled his 25-man roster for South Korea's final two World Cup qualifiers scheduled for this month. Captain Son Heung-min, leading goal scorer for Tottenham Hotspur is back in the mix, as is Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan and FC Girondins de Bordeaux forward Hwang Ui-jo. (Yonhap) &nb

SoccerMarch 14, 2022

KBO clubs to organize farewell tour for retiring slugger Lee Dae-ho

The South Korean baseball league announced Monday its 10 clubs will jointly organize a farewell tour for the retiring star Lee Dae-ho this season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said it wanted to celebrate Lee's accomplishments over the past two decades in the top league and in international competitions for the national team. Lee, who will turn 40 in June, will become the second player to be so celebrated in his final season. In 2017, Lee Seung-yuop went on a farewell tour around the lea

BaseballMarch 14, 2022

K League champs Jeonbuk in unfamiliar position after suffering 3rd straight loss

Five matches into a season in which they are chasing a record sixth consecutive championship, K League 1 giants Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors find themselves in a largely unfamiliar spot. Jeonbuk suffered their third straight loss at the hands of Jeju United on Saturday. The 2-0 defeat temporarily dropped Jeonbuk to 10th place among 12 clubs on the tables. Then Suwon FC earned their first win of the season Sunday to move up to 10th place and pull Jeonbuk down to 11th place. Jeonbuk have four points fro

SoccerMarch 14, 2022

Ex-player Heo Koo-youn nominated as next baseball commissioner

Heo Koo-youn, a commentator for MBC, was nominated Friday to serve as the next head of South Korean professional baseball. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that its board of directors advanced Heo's nomination as the new league commissioner to the general assembly, comprised of owners of its 10 clubs. Heo, 71, will become the KBO chief if his nomination is passed by a three-quarters majority in the general assembly to be scheduled later. The KBO's top position has been vacant sinc

BaseballMarch 11, 2022

Ulsan looking to pad K League lead with 4th straight win

After Ulsan Hyundai FC blanked rivals Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1-0 last Sunday, head coach Hong Myung-bo said his players were still not at their 100 percent. Even at less than their full strength, Ulsan have grabbed the early lead in the K League 1 with 10 points. They are the only undefeated team with three wins and a draw. All three wins have come consecutively, and Ulsan will look to extend that streak Friday against FC Seoul. The kickoff is 7 p.m. at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 415

SoccerMarch 10, 2022

KBO clubs to dive into preseason amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Even with no light visible at the end of the tunnel that is the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean baseball league plans to forge ahead with a full slate of regular season games in 2022. The first step toward that objective will come in the form of a preseason, which starts Saturday for all 10 teams. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has scheduled 16 exhibition games per team through March 29. All games are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., though teams can ask the league to push some games to

BaseballMarch 10, 2022

Following reunion with ex-MLB pitcher, Landers emerge as KBO title favorite

Baseball is never played on paper, but it is difficult not to be impressed by the starting rotation that the SSG Landers have put together for the upcoming Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. By reuniting with their former franchise star Kim Kwang-hyun, who is returning after two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Landers have put three former major league starters on their staff. Kim, who signed a four-year deal worth a record 15.1 billion won ($12.3 million), was the face of the L

BaseballMarch 8, 2022

Ex-MLB pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun returns to KBO on record contract

Former major league pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun is coming back to South Korea. The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Tuesday they have reunited with their franchise icon on a four-year deal worth up to 15.1 billion won ($12.3 million). The 33-year-old will make 13.1 billion won in total salary over the next four seasons and can earn up to 2 billion won more in incentives. By the total amount, it's the largest contract in KBO's 40-year history by 100 million won. Kim pi

BaseballMarch 8, 2022

Son Heung-min scores in 2nd straight match for Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has scored in his second straight Premier League match to maintain his team lead in the goal department. Son netted his 11th goal of the 2021-2022 campaign in a 5-0 rout over Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Monday (local time). Son's 17th-minute score, which followed an own goal by Everton defender Michael Keane, gave Tottenham a 2-0 lead. Son deftly cut in between two defenders to collect a pass from Dejan Kulusevski and then fired the ball fr

SoccerMarch 8, 2022

Undefeated Ulsan surge to top of K League tables; rivals Pohang in close 2nd

For each of the past three years in South Korean football, Ulsan Hyundai FC finished in second place to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. On all three occasions, Ulsan were in a great position to capture the crown, only to see Jeonbuk zip past them late in the season. Could this finally be the year Ulsan break the curse and win their first K League 1 championship since 2005? It is still too early to tell, but as the only undefeated club four matches into the 2022 season, Ulsan have at least given themselv

SoccerMarch 7, 2022

Sports ministers seek to bar Russians, Belarusians from international sports events

The sports ministers of 26 countries, including South Korea and the United States, agreed to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from international sports games to be held in their countries as part of sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said Friday. The ministers reached the agreement during a videoconference hosted by British Sports and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries at midnight to discuss joint responses to Russia's aggression, officials of the culture and sports ministry

More SportsMarch 4, 2022

Half of top football league undefeated with no early front-runner

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the five-time defending champions in the top South Korean football league, were about a dozen minutes away from becoming the only club to win the first two matches of the 2022 season on Sunday. Daegu FC had other ideas, as they scored in the 79th minute to eke out a 1-1 draw at home in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. That was the last game of Matchweek 2 for the 12 teams in the K League 1. And for the first time since 2016, no club has come out of the gate

SoccerFeb. 28, 2022

Beijing 2022 medalists pull out of domestic competition

Skating medalists from the recent Beijing Winter Olympics have withdrawn from the domestic winter sports competition starting this week, the sport's national federation said Thursday. The Korea Skating Union (KSU) said speed skater Lee Seung-hoon and short tracker Lee Yu-bin have pulled out of the National Winter Sports Festival, which kicks off Friday. Lee Seung-hoon won the bronze medal in the men's mass start in Beijing last week. Lee Yu-bin was a member of the silver medal-winning team in th

Olympic GamesFeb. 24, 2022

World rankings to determine S. Korean golf teams at Asian Games

With professionals allowed in the Asian Games golf tournament for the first time this year, South Korea will use world ranking positions to pick its pros for the competition. The Korea Golf Association (KGA) said Thursday that amateur spots will be filled through trials scheduled for next month. At the Sept. 10-25 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the men's golf tournament will feature four players per team for men and three players per side for women. The KGA had announced in January that the m

GolfFeb. 24, 2022

Son Heung-min forced to wait in bid for Premier League record after loss

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min will have to wait another match for a Premier League record, following a loss to the lowly Burnley on the road. The South Korean and Spurs were blanked 1-0 at Turf Moor in Burnley, England, on Wednesday (local time), giving their opponents only their third win of the season. Tottenham remained in eighth place on 39 points, while Burnley, still in the relegation zone in 18th place, improved to 20 points on their second consecutive win. This is Burnley's first win

SoccerFeb. 24, 2022

Ex-S Korean captain Koo Ja-cheol to be reunited with K League's Jeju

After spending more than a decade overseas, South Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol is coming home. Jeju United of the K League 1 said Wednesday that Koo, 32, has agreed to rejoin the team where he made his professional debut in 2007. Further details of the contract will be hammered out once Koo arrives in South Korea Thursday, the club added. Koo played for Jeju from 2007 to 2010, netting eight goals and picking up 19 assists in 88 matches. He then launched his international club career with VfL W

SoccerFeb. 23, 2022

FC Seoul sign forward Cho Young-wook to 2-year extension

The South Korean football club FC Seoul announced Wednesday they have signed forward Cho Young-wook to a two-year contract extension. Cho, 23, made his K League 1 debut with his hometown club in 2018, and the extension will keep him in the nation's capital through 2024. In 107 career matches, Cho has netted 18 goals and five assists. He scored a career-high eight goals in 2021, and became the youngest K League 1 player to reach the 100-game mark. For September 2021, Cho became the youngest-

SoccerFeb. 23, 2022

Korean Series-winning skipper Ryu Joong-il named nat'l team manager for Asian Games

Four-time Korean Series champion manager Ryu Joong-il was named the new skipper for the national baseball team at this year's Asian Games on Wednesday. The Korea Baseball Softball Association (KBSA) said Ryu, 59, will lead the squad at the Sept. 10-25 Asian Games taking place in Hangzhou, China. His appointment will be finalized at a KBSA board meeting sometime in March. Ryu managed the Samsung Lions to four consecutive Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) titles from 2011 to 2014. His last KBO man

BaseballFeb. 23, 2022