Son Heung-min called up for World Cup qualifiers amid injury concerns

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min was selected to the national team Monday ahead of two World Cup qualifying matches despite whispers of a possible injury. Head coach Paulo Bento picked the longtime national team captain, along with 25 other players for World Cup qualifiers against Iraq and Lebanon at home next month. South Korea will first host Iraq at 8 p.m. on Sept. 2 at Seoul World Cup Stadium in the nation's capital. Then on Sept. 7, South Korea will face Lebanon at 8 p.

SoccerAug. 23, 2021

S. Koreans suffer 1st LPGA major shutout in 11 years

File this under "something you don't see very often in sports." South Korean golfers have been shut out at LPGA majors this year, the first time that's happened since 2010. Kim Sei-young ended the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland in a tie for 13th on Sunday (local time). She was tied for eighth after 54 holes at six-under par but finished her tournament at the same score after an up-and-down 72 in the final round. The country has been a dominant force in women's

GolfAug. 23, 2021

Kim Sei-young ties for 13th at LPGA season's final major

Kim Sei-young finished tied for 13th at the final major tournament of the 2021 LPGA season in Scotland, leaving South Korea without a major champion for the first time in 11 years. Kim shot an even-par round of 72 at the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland, on Sunday (local time). With a four-round total of six-under 282, Kim ended in 13th place with six others. Anna Nordqvist of Sweden won the championship at 12-under 276. Kim started the final round at six-under

GolfAug. 23, 2021

Ice dance duo brings S. Korea first ISU Grand Prix medal

Figure skaters Hannah Lim and Quan Ye have become the first ice dancing duo representing South Korea to win a medal at an International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix event. Lim and Quan finished third in the first leg of the ISU Junior Grand Prix season in Courchevel, France, on Saturday (local time). They scored 89.05 points in free dance Saturday, after earning 55.22 points in rhythm dance the previous day. With a combined 144.27 points, Lim and Quan earned the bronze medal behind Katarina Wo

SportsAug. 22, 2021

Kim Sei-young 3 back of lead after 3 rounds at LPGA season's final major

Kim Sei-young will need some final round magic to capture the last major tournament of the 2021 LPGA season. Kim found herself three strokes off the lead in a tie for eighth place at the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland, on Saturday (local time). The South Korean shot an even-par 72 in the rainy third round, after trading in her four birdies with four bogeys. She entered the third round in third place but is now tied for eighth with six other players at six-und

GolfAug. 22, 2021

Blue Jays' Ryu Hyun-jin shuts down Tigers, tied for AL lead in wins

With his first scoreless outing in more than a month, Toronto Blue Jays starter Ryu Hyun-jin has pulled into a tie for the American League (AL) lead in victories. Ryu tossed seven shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Saturday (local time), helping the Blue Jays to a 3-0 victory. Ryu scattered five hits and struck out five, while walking one batter and inducing three double plays. Ryu is now 12-6 for the season, and his ERA dropped from a season-high 3.72 to

BaseballAug. 22, 2021

S. Korean-born taekwondo coach for Thailand wants to improve sports diplomacy between two countries

For the past two decades, South Korean-born taekwondo coach Choi Young-seok has made efforts to help Thailand make its presence felt in the international sporting world and finally accomplished the goal at the Tokyo Olympics. His longtime student Panipak Wongpattanakit won the women's 49-kilogram title at the Summer Games that closed Aug. 8. It was the Southeast Asian country's first Olympic taekwondo gold medal and the only gold won in Tokyo. Thailand previously had two Olympic silvers and th

More SportsAug. 20, 2021

Cardinals' Kim Kwang-hyun gives up 2 homers in minor league rehab start

Inching toward a return to the big leagues, St. Louis Cardinals' South Korean starter Kim Kwang-hyun allowed two runs in two innings of his minor league rehab outing. Pitching for Triple-A Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone Park in Memphis on Thursday (local time), Kim served up two solo home runs in the top of the first inning against the Nashville Sounds. Leadoff man Matt Lipka went deep on Kim's fifth pitch of the game. Two batters later, Daniel Vogelbach homered to right field to put the Sounds

BaseballAug. 20, 2021

Kim Sei-young tied for 1st round lead at LPGA season's final major

South Korean star Kim Sei-young has a share of the first round lead at the final major of the 2021 LPGA season. Kim shot a five-under 67 to open the AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Scotland, on Thursday (local time). She is tied at the top with Nelly Korda of the United States, world No. 1 and Olympic gold medalist, and Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden. Kim, world No. 4, picked up six birdies, including three in a row starting at the par-5 fifth, and had her lone bogey at t

GolfAug. 20, 2021

Ex-KBO players taking unlikely paths back to MLB

There isn't a precise measure to compare the overall talent level of South Korean professional baseball to that of the majors. But big league scouts and other front office types familiar with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) would tell you the Korean league falls somewhere between Triple-A and Double-A ball stateside. By some crude math, then, it stands to reason that one-time big leaguers who didn't pan out in the KBO would have little, if any, chance of returning to Major League Baseball

BaseballAug. 19, 2021

KBO's top baseball magnet passes MLB mark with 288th hit-by-pitch

After an errant pitch brushed his jersey, SSG Landers' slugger Choi Jeong didn't just walk to first base. He also trotted into the record books. On Wednesday night in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Choi got hit by a pitch for the 288th time in his career. The Landers billed it as "the world record," as Choi surpassed the major league mark of 287 held by Hall of Famer Hughie Jennings. His career spanned from 1891 to 1918 but his last hit-by-pitch came in 1903. It's difficult t

BaseballAug. 19, 2021

Son Heung-min to stay on bench at start of Tottenham's continental match

South Korean football fans should adjust their alarm clocks for Friday morning. Tottenham Hotspur and their South Korean star Son Heung-min are visiting Portugal this week to play FC Pacos de Ferreira in the first of two playoff matches for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League. The kickoff at Estadio Capital do Movel is 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the club's namesake Portuguese town, or 3:30 a.m. Friday in South Korea. Tottenham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo tipped his hand during his premat

SoccerAug. 19, 2021

S. Korea to face top-ranked US in women's football friendlies in Oct.

The South Korean women's national football team will play a pair of friendlies against the world No. 1 United States on the road in October, the sport's national federation announced Thursday. The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the first match between the two countries will kick off at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. That's 9 a.m. on Oct. 22 (Korean time). The second match will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, or 9 a.m.

SoccerAug. 19, 2021

Homegrown batters dominate KBO leaderboards as foreign players struggle

This has been an unusual season in South Korean baseball in more ways than one, and the absence of former major leaguers from overseas at the top of batting stats leaderboards has been especially noticeable. Gone are the days when foreign hitters dominated major hitting categories such as home runs, hits and RBIs in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Through Tuesday's action, Jose Pirela of the Samsung Lions has been the only foreign bat of note. In his first KBO season, Pirela is tied wit

BaseballAug. 18, 2021

LPGA star Park In-bee embracing tough conditions at historic course

Park In-bee likes to be challenged on the golf course. The LPGA Hall of Famer has enough confidence in her game to thrive under difficult conditions where lesser golfers may falter. That approach will certainly come in handy this week in Scotland, where the LPGA Tour holds its fifth and final major tournament of 2021 on a historic links course. Carnoustie Golf Links will host the AIG Women's Open starting Thursday. It has held eight Open Championships on the men's side, and this will be the se

GolfAug. 18, 2021

S. Koreans trying to end LPGA major drought at Carnoustie

On a historic course in Scotland this week, South Korean LPGA golfers will try to avoid making a wrong kind of history. Long a dominant force in women's golf, South Korea is in danger of being shut out at LPGA major championships for the first time in 11 years. The AIG Women's Open, the fifth and final major of 2021, will tee off at Carnoustie Golf Links in its namesake Scottish town Thursday. The four previous majors were won by four players from four countries. For South Korea, Lee Jeong-eu

GolfAug. 18, 2021

Baseball player cleared of doping charges after further review

A South Korean baseball player has been cleared of doping allegations upon further review by the national anti-doping body, the player's club has announced. The Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said late Tuesday that the Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) informed the league office of its final decision on the player, whose identity was being withheld, at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The KBO in turn delivered the news to the Bears, a team official added. In June, the KADA detected a banne

BaseballAug. 18, 2021

3 S. Koreans to compete in PGA Tour's annual playoffs starting this week

Three South Korean players will be in action for the annual PGA Tour playoffs starting this week, competing with more than 100 others in a quest for a jackpot in September. Kim Si-woo, Im Sung-jae and Lee Kyoung-hoon have finished 30th, 31st and 34th on the FedEx Cup points rankings, and have qualified for the first leg of the playoffs, the Northern Trust, which will tee off at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Thursday. The top 125 from the FedEx Cup standings will be

GolfAug. 17, 2021

Long week ahead for K League clubs playing rescheduled matches during pandemic

There are many ways in which the coronavirus pandemic has changed sports, not the least of which is unexpected disruption to playing schedules. Four clubs in the K League 1 are staring at a long week, as they play rescheduled matches on Wednesday following bouts with COVID-19, and then have to return to the pitch on the weekend for regularly-scheduled contests. Incheon United will host Seongnam FC at 7 p.m. Wednesday, while FC Seoul will bring home Jeju United at 7:30 p.m. on the same day. Th

SoccerAug. 17, 2021

Son Heung-min named to Premier League's Team of the Week

Fresh off an impressive goal against the champions Manchester City in his club's season opener, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has been selected to the Premier League's Team of the Week. Alan Shearer, the league's all-time leading scorer, named Son as one of his three forwards on his weekly All-Star squad Monday (England local time), flanked by Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Richarlison of Everton. Son scored Spur's lone goal in the 55th minute of their 1-0 victory over Man City at Tottenh

SoccerAug. 17, 2021