KBO commissioner resigns about one year after taking office

South Korean pro baseball chief Chung Ji-taik on Tuesday resigned from his post about a year after he took office, citing health issues, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said. Chung, former vice chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, started his three-year term as the KBO commissioner in January last year, following his predecessor Chung Un-chan. "The KBO League has struggled with many difficulties like restricted admissions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic,"

BaseballFeb. 8, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean netizens express outrage over controversial Beijing short track refereeing

Many South Koreans expressed outrage on Tuesday over what they perceived as egregious refereeing against some of the country's short track speed skaters at the Beijing Winter Olympics this week. In the men's 1,000m semifinals on Monday, South Korea's Hwang Dae-heon and Lee June-seo each got disqualified from their respective heats for illegal passing and lane change. Those decisions each allowed Chinese skaters to advance to the final, and the host country ended up collecting gold and silver me

Olympic GamesFeb. 8, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Int'l skating body rejects S. Korean protest in short track race

BEIJING -- The international skating governing body has rejected a South Korean protest following the disqualification of its short track speed skater at Beijing 2022. The International Skating Union (ISU) said in a statement on Tuesday that decisions regarding disqualification for rule violations cannot be challenged. South Korea had filed its protest Monday after Hwang Dae-heon was penalized during his semifinal heat in the men's 1,000m race at Capital Indoor Stadium. He was called for what

Olympic GamesFeb. 8, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Short trackers to make another push for 1st medal

BEIJING -- South Korea has been uncharacteristically shut out of short track speed skating medals after two days' worth of races at Beijing 2022. Its skaters will be hoping the third time will be the charm Wednesday, when the final for the men's 1,500m will take place. It will start with the quarterfinals for Hwang Dae-heon, Lee June-seo and Park Jang-hyuk, with the final set as the last race of the night. There will also be heats for the women's 1,000m and semifinals for the women's 3,000m re

Olympic GamesFeb. 8, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean men out early in men's 1,000m short track with injury, penalties

Three South Koreans were gone early from the men's 1,000m short track speed skating event at Beijing 2022 on Monday, with one suffering an injury in a collision and two others penalized for causing contact with other skaters. Hwang Dae-heon, the world record holder in the event, crossed the line first in his semifinal heat at Capital Indoor Stadium but was disqualified for making "an illegal late passing" that caused contact. Hwang was in the middle of the pack before moving out into

Olympic GamesFeb. 8, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korea to appeal short track refereeing at top sports tribunal

BEIJING -- South Korea is taking its appeal of Olympic short track speed skating refereeing to the top international sports tribunal. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced Tuesday that it will file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to "publicize the unfairness" of officiating during short track races involving South Korean athletes at Beijing 2022 on Monday. "We will do our best to ensure our athletes won't be treated so unfairly in inte

Olympic GamesFeb. 8, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean men out early in men's 1,000m short track with injury, penalties

Three South Koreans were gone early from the men's 1,000m short track speed skating event at Beijing 2022 on Monday, with one suffering an injury in a collision and two others penalized for causing contact with other skaters. Hwang Dae-heon, the world record holder in the event, crossed the line first in his semifinal heat at Capital Indoor Stadium but was disqualified for making "an illegal late passing" that caused contact. Hwang was in the middle of the pack before moving out into

SportsFeb. 7, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Short tracker Choi Min-jeong eliminated in women's 500m quarterfinals

With a stunning late fall, South Korean short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women's 500m at Beijing 2022 on Monday, as the two-time Olympic champion has now gone 0-for-2 in her medal quest here. Choi finished fourth out of five skaters in her quarterfinal heat at Capital Indoor Stadium with a time of 1:04.939. The top two skaters from four quarterfinal heats and the two-fastest third-place skaters advanced to the semifinals. Choi was in second pla

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean short tracker cries foul over biased officiating in favor of China

As disappointed as he was that his team crashed out early in the mixed team relay in short track speed skating in Beijing over the weekend, South Korean short tracker Kwak Yoon-gy seemed even more upset that China won gold thanks to what he claimed was biased judging. In a scrum with South Korean reporters Sunday, a day after China won the inaugural Olympic gold in the mixed relay on home ice, Kwak said it was difficult to describe the mixed bag of feelings he had about China's path to the titl

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Alpine snowboarder Lee Sang-ho goes for historic gold

Alpine snowboarder Lee Sang-ho will try to make a new piece of South Korean Olympic history on Tuesday, when the men's parallel giant slalom event takes place at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Lee became the first South Korean snowboarder to win an Olympic medal four years ago, capturing silver in the parallel giant slalom on home soil at PyeongChang. As the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup overall points leader, Lee enters Beijing 2022 as a strong gold medal contender. The qualifica

Olympic GamesFeb. 7, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean speed skater Kim Bo-reum celebrates birthday in Beijing

South Korean speed skater Kim Bo-reum celebrated her 29th birthday in Beijing on Sunday, the third time she has gotten to mark her big day during a Winter Olympics. The three-time Olympian is the only South Korean athlete here whose birthday falls during the Feb. 4-20 competition. Before her training session on Sunday, Kim received a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed doll of the panda Olympic mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, from the head of the athletic delegation, Yoon Hong-geun. Speaking to reporter

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

First COVID-19 case confirmed among Korean delegation to Beijing Olympics

The first positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed among the Korean delegation participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics, the national Olympic body said Saturday. According to the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, an official working for the skiing team tested positive for COVID-19 at the airport upon arrival in Beijing on Thursday. The official has been moved to a quarantine facility after receiving a positive test result again early Saturday from a retest on Friday. “We

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean figure skater to attempt 3 quadruple jumps in Beijing

With his confidence running high after a recent international victory, South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan will try to push himself into medal contention at Beijing 2022 with three quadruple jumps. After nailing a quadruple salchow multiple times in practice on Saturday, Cha said he plans to do a quadruple salchow in the short program and then a quadruple salchow and a quadruple toe loop in the free skate. The salchow jump has the base score of 9.70 points and the toe loop has a 9.50 base

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Emerging speed skater ready for starring role in Beijing

At the tender age of 16 in his first Olympic appearance at PyeongChang 2018, South Korean speed skater Chung Jae-won willingly played a supporting role for older teammates. Stronger and better than before, Chung is now ready to take up a more prominent position on the national team at the Beijing Winter Olympics. "I will be asked to handle more responsibilities," Chung said after his first training session at the National Speed Skating Oval on Saturday. "I will have to do much m

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] With S. Korean-born coaches in charge, China throws down gauntlet early in short track

So what do you do when you can't beat them or join them? You bring in someone from them. That's what China did in short track speed skating before hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Kim Sun-tae, who coached South Korea to six medals, including three gold medals, at the 2018 Winter Games, is now the head coach for China. Kim's top assistant is the six-time Olympic champion Victor An, who was born Ahn Hyun-soo in South Korea but later became a naturalized Russian citizen. He's the mos

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Short track stars look to put disappointing relay behind for individual races

Short track speed skaters Choi Min-jeong and Hwang Dae-heon will try to shake off disappointments from an early relay race as the two South Korean stars chase individual medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Monday. Choi will be competing in the women's 500m, starting with the quarterfinals and, if she keeps advancing, in the final at Capital Indoor Stadium. Hwang and two other South Koreans, Park Jang-hyuk and Lee June-seo, will be in the quarterfinals in the men's 1,000m, with the final sc

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] S. Korean athletes staying out of village dining hall for better food, safety

South Korean speed skater Kim Bo-reum had barely arrived in Beijing on Thursday evening, when she studied her dinner options at the cafeteria inside the Olympic village. And her reaction? "I wanted to go home right then and there," Kim quipped Saturday after a training session at the National Speed Skating Oval. Kim didn't find the Chinese food spread to her liking and she was far from alone. One of her teammates, Kim Min-sun, had also traveled to Beijing on Thursday and had her fir

Olympic GamesFeb. 6, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Moon wishes Beijing Olympics would promote peace, harmony

President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed his wish that the Beijing Winter Olympics would become an event that promotes peace and harmony for all mankind through sports. Moon also wished for the strong performance of South Korean national players in a message he posted on social media hours before the opening of the 24th Olympic Winter Games in the Chinese capital. "In the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, we united and created a realm of peace and harmony for all mankind. We saw a miracl

SportsFeb. 4, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Beijing Olympic Winter Games open under cloud of pandemic, diplomatic boycotts

BEIJING -- The 24th Olympic Winter Games began in Beijing on Friday with an understated ceremony showcasing virtues of the Chinese culture and expressing hope for a reunion of people around the world -- a hope that rings hollow under the cloud of a global pandemic and diplomatic boycotts of the event. The Chinese capital is the first city to host both a Summer and a Winter Games. The National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest, staged the ceremonies in 2008 and is back doing the same in 2

Olympic GamesFeb. 4, 2022

[BEIJING OLYMPICS] Canadian figure skating coach says Beijing medal for S. Korean student 'not out of the question'

BEIJING -- Canadian figure skating legend Brian Orser has been quite successful as a coach, too, having produced a slew of Olympic and world champions. He knows a potential medalist when he sees one. And he feels his South Korean student, Cha Jun-hwan, may have a shot at surprising some people at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Cha is fresh off winning the men's singles title at the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Estonia on Jan. 23. Though some big nam

Olympic GamesFeb. 4, 2022