S. Korea sets low medal target for Beijing 2022

South Korea's national Olympic body set a humble target for medals at the upcoming Beijing Winter Games on Thursday, with hopes of winning a gold medal or two for a top-15 finish. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) predicted South Korea will fall well short of its Winter Olympic-record total of 17 medals won at home during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. South Korea won five gold, eight silver and four bronze medals to finish seventh in the medal race then. This time around, t

More SportsDec. 23, 2021

Dream becomes reality for star outfielder joining hometown KBO club

South Korean slugger Na Sung-bum grew up in the southern city of Gwangju, rooting for the Kia Tigers. He would frequent their home stadium with his parents, and as a teenage prospect, his middle school and high school teams even played a few games there too. And come 2022, Na will be playing for the Tigers. As a free agent, Na signed a six-year contract worth 15 billion won ($12.6 million) with the Tigers on Thursday, a deal that ties the record for the largest free agent deal in Korea Baseball

BaseballDec. 23, 2021

Volleyball news, good and bad, prominent in annual rankings of S. Korean sports stories

No South Korean sport went through the kind of roller-coaster ride that volleyball did in 2021. The sport's highest of highs and the lowest of lows dominated the news cycle and also the annual rankings of the top 10 sports stories released by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. A series of off-court scandals in the sport ranked No. 1 in Yonhap's survey of 51 South Korean newspapers and broadcasters, with 315 points. A first-place vote was worth 10 points, with a second-place vote worth nine points

More SportsDec. 23, 2021

Led by Olympic medalists, S. Korea earns 13 quotas in speed skating at Beijing 2022

South Korea has secured 13 quota places in speed skating for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, with a few medalists from the previous Winter Games in 2018 earning another shot at the podium. The International Skating Union (ISU) announced its allocation of quota places for speed skating on Thursday, based on results from four ISU World Cup competitions this season. On the women's side, South Korea won a spot in the 500m, two places in the 1,000m, and two more in the mass start. For men, South

More SportsDec. 23, 2021

Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee banned for 2 months for off-ice trouble, Beijing status in limbo

Two-time Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee was slapped with a two-month ban for disparaging coaches and teammates Tuesday, a decision that, barring a successful appeal, will keep her out of the Beijing Winter Games in February. The Korea Skating Union held a disciplinary meeting Tuesday at its Seoul headquarters to hand down the punishment on Shim, who denigrated members of the South Korean team in expletive-laden text exchanges with a national team coach during the 2018 P

More SportsDec. 21, 2021

NC Dinos sign new American outfielder, bring back 2 starters

The NC Dinos filled their foreign player quota for the 2022 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season Tuesday, signing a new outfielder while retaining two starting pitchers. The Dinos announced they have acquired former major league outfielder Nick Martini on a one-year deal worth up to $800,000. Martini, who will replace Aaron Altherr in the lineup, will make $440,000 in salary, $110,000 in signing bonus and up to $250,000 in incentives. Martini, 31, has 112 big league games to his credit, mo

BaseballDec. 21, 2021

KBO's Landers sign ex-MLB pitcher Ivan Nova

Ivan Nova, a former 16-game winner for the New York Yankees, is coming to South Korea. The SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on Tuesday they signed Nova to a one-year deal at up to US$1 million, the maximum amount of money allowed for new foreign players. The 34-year-old right-hander will make $750,000 in guaranteed salary and $150,000 in signing bonus, and he can pick up an additional $100,000 in incentives. The Dominican Republic-native was signed by the Yankees

BaseballDec. 21, 2021

Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores vs. Liverpool in return from COVID-19 layoff

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has extended his goal scoring streak to three matches, helping his club eke out a draw against Liverpool in a return from a lengthy COVID-19 layoff. Son netted a 74th-minute equalizer for a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). It was Son's seventh goal in the Premier League this season and eighth goal in all competitions. He leads Tottenham in that category. This was Tottenham's first match

SoccerDec. 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] B-girl Yell from ‘Street Woman Fighter’ looks to become world’s top breaker

With breakdancing taking the country by storm on the back of TV survival shows, fans were yet more excited by the news that four break dancers will represent South Korea in the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. Among them stands Kim Ye-ri, who has recently cemented her status as Korea’s top female breakdancer. Better known as B-girl Yell or dance crew YGX’s Ye-ri to cable TV dancing competition “Street Woman Fighter,” Kim got to where she is now thanks to a “spirit of d

More SportsDec. 13, 2021

S. Korean An Narin wins LPGA qualifying tournament

South Korean golfer An Narin has captured her LPGA Tour card with a flourish, winning the grueling qualifying tournament by shooting the best score in the field on the final day. An finished in first place at the LPGA Q-Series, an eight-round marathon that wrapped up at Highland Oaks Golf Club in Dothan, Alabama, on Sunday (local time). An, a two-time Korea LPGA (KLPGA) winner, carded a six-under 66, with seven birdies against one bogey, in the final round to finish at 33-under 541 overall. Th

GolfDec. 13, 2021

KBO's Giants add ex-MLB catcher Laird to coaching staff

The South Korean baseball club Lotte Giants hired former major league backstop Gerald Laird as their new catching coach on Sunday. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team said Laird, 42, will be replacing Hank Conger, who recently joined the Minnesota Twins as first base and catching coach following two seasons with the Giants. Laird played 13 seasons in the majors for five franchises, including six years with the Texas Rangers. He won his first and only World Series ring with the St. Louis

BaseballDec. 12, 2021

Gangwon vs. Daejeon in battle for place in top football league

One club will try to stay in the top flight in South Korean football, while another will look to join the big boys after six years away. It will be Gangwon FC of the K League 1 versus Daejeon Hana Citizen of the K League 2 in this year's two-legged promotion-relegation playoffs. The opening leg will kick off at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Daejeon's home, Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. The return leg will be 2 p.m. on Sunday at Gangneung Stadium in Gangneung, about 230 ki

SportsDec. 7, 2021

[Herald Interview] B-boy Leon to battle for world title at 2022 Asian Games

Breaking, a style of street dancing consisting of footwork, spinning and other acrobatic movements, has been officially approved as a new medal sport for the Asian Games and Olympics. B-boys and b-girls from around the globe will participate in the international sporting events starting next year, representing their countries. Kim Jong-ho, better known as B-boy Leon, has qualified as one of the four breakers who will represent South Korea in the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. Although Kim has alre

More SportsDec. 6, 2021

Kia Tigers' new manager wants team to run more

As a former stolen base king himself, new Kia Tigers manager Kim Jong-kook would like to see more thieveries from his players going forward. Kim, having been a coach with the Tigers for a decade before being named skipper on Sunday, knows as well as anyone that the Tigers aren't going to slug their way to prominence. But it could be a different story when it comes to stealing bags, Kim said. "Objectively speaking, we're not much of a power-hitting club, but we can be competitive with our

BaseballDec. 6, 2021

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

Having recently ended a scoring drought, Son Heung-min has now found the back of the net in the second straight match for Tottenham Hotspur. The South Korean forward had a goal and an assist in Tottenham's 3-0 win over Norwich City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). For the season, Son has six goals in 13 Premier League matches and seven goals in 19 games across all competitions. He has scored once in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Son had also scored against B

SoccerDec. 6, 2021

KLPGA star Choi Hye-in among 5 S. Koreans to survive 1st cut in LPGA qualifying event

South Korean tour star Choi Hye-jin has made the initial cut at the LPGA Tour's qualifying tournament in Alabama. Choi, a three-time Korea LPGA (KLPGA) Tour Player of the Year, was one of five South Koreans to finish inside the top 70 and ties after the first phase of the LPGA Q-Series concluded in Mobile, Alabama, on Sunday (local time). After the first 72 holes, Choi is in second place at 17-under 269, two strokes back of Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France. Another KLPGA player, An Narin, i

GolfDec. 6, 2021

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors make history with 5th straight K League title

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have now gone where no South Korean football team has gone before: they became the champions of the K League 1 for a record fifth straight season Sunday. Jeonbuk clinched their historic title with a 2-0 victory over Jeju United at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul, finishing with the league-best 76 points. Ulsan Hyundai FC, the only other team with a chance to win the title in the top league Sunday, blanked Daegu FC 2-0 but still fini

SoccerDec. 5, 2021

Coach Kim Jong-kook tapped as new manager of Kia Tigers

The Kia Tigers announced coach Kim Jong-kook will be the new manager of the South Korean baseball club Sunday. Kim signed a three-year contract for the post for a signing bonus of 300 million won ($253,000) and an annual salary of 250 million won. Kim is nicknamed the "Tigers' one club man," having played all of his 14 seasons with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team, starting in 1996. Mostly as a second baseman, he played 1,359 KBO games with a batting average of .247 and 6

BaseballDec. 5, 2021

Messi wins 7th Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi, the legendary 34-year-old soccer player of Paris Saint-Germain, won his seventh Ballon d’Or on Monday. Presented by the news magazine France Football every year, the Ballon d’Or is given to the best soccer player of the year. Since the Ballon d’Or Awards did not take place last year due to the pandemic, Messi has won the trophy a second time consecutively. Messi won the Ballon d’Or for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and now 2021, becoming the soccer pl

SoccerDec. 4, 2021

[Newsmaker] Lee Hyun-jung, a second Korean NBA player in making?

Days after Lee Hyun-jung of the Davidson Wildcats scorched the University of North Caroline at Charlotte 49ers with a career-high 32 points on Nov. 30, all the buzz around the Korean-born scorer focused on three letters: NBA. Now in his junior year, the 21-year-old native of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, has been making regular appearances in mock NBA drafts since he became the first Davidson Wildcat to record a 50-40-90 season -- at least 50 percent, 40 percent and 90 percent in field goal, thre

BaseballDec. 3, 2021