Amid K League success, ex-Barca player Lee Seung-woo linked with Scottish club Hearts

In the midst of his strong first season in South Korea, former FC Barcelona player Lee Seung-woo is apparently drawing interest from Europe. Edinburgh Evening News reported Sunday (local time) that Heart of Midlothian FC, commonly known as Hearts, had offered Lee a three-year deal to leave Suwon FC and join the Scottish Premiership club. For days leading up to that report, there had been whispers that clubs in Europe and Asia were trying to pry the 24-year-old from the K League 1 team. According

Aug. 2, 2022

S. Korean Premier Leaguer Hwang Hee-chan condemns racism after abuse in friendly

Wolverhamton Wanderers' South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan spoke up against racism Tuesday, some 24 hours after being subjected to discriminatory abuse during a preseason friendly in Portugal. "We are all the same human beings. We all need to have a mature attitude on enjoying sports," Hwang wrote on his Instagram page. "I really hope today could be the last day of people's suffering from racism. Not only in sport. But everywhere. No to racism." Hwang scored a pena

Aug. 2, 2022

Top 2 clubs pulling away once again in K League

For the fourth consecutive season, the South Korean football title will likely come down to the two alpha dogs: Ulsan Hyundai FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Both clubs notched victories over the weekend in the K League 1, while three teams right below them in the tables all lost to fall even further behind in the race. Ulsan stumbled a bit coming out of an international break in June, allowing Jeonbuk to close the gap. But Ulsan still hold a five-point lead at the top, 50-45, following their 2-1

Aug. 1, 2022

New Napoli defender Kim Min-jae makes strong preseason debut

South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has made a solid first impression in his preseason debut with Napoli. The 25-year-old center back played the first half of Napoli's 1-1 draw with the Spanish side RCD Mallorca at Stadio Teofilo Patini in Castel di Sangro, Italy, on Sunday (local time). Napoli took a 1-0 lead eight minutes into the friendly match thanks to Victor Osimhen's penalty, and Kim and the rest of Napoli's defense corps neutralized Mallorca's offense. Kim signed with t

Aug. 1, 2022

S. Korean defender Kim Min-jae signs with Italian club Napoli

South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has joined Italian football club Napoli. In a statement released Wednesday (local time), the club confirmed the signing of the Korean center back from Turkish club Fenerbahce in a bid to strengthen its defense. But it did not elaborate on the detailed terms of the contract. Kim becomes the third Korean footballer to play in the Serie A, following Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-woo. The 25-year-old moved to Fenerbahce in 2021 from Chinese club Beijing Guoan, where h

July 28, 2022

Korea lose to Japan to finish runner-up at men's E. Asian football tournament

South Korea fell to Japan 3-0 to finish runner-up at an East Asian men's football tournament on Wednesday.    South Korea conceded three goals in the second half in their last match of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship held at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan.    It is the second consecutive defeat to Japan following the 3-0 loss in a friendly last year.    South Korea wrapped up the four-nation tournament with two wins and one

July 27, 2022

S. Korea beat China to kickoff East Asian men's football tournament

South Korea defeated China 3-0 on Wednesday to begin their quest for the fourth consecutive East Asian men’s football title. Forward Cho Gue-sung and midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon had a goal apiece at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, while South Korea also got an own goal from China in their first match of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship. South Korea, world No. 28, now have 21 wins, 13 draws and two losses against the 78th-ranked China. South Korea will

July 20, 2022

K League forward shines vs. Tottenham, coach touts Europe chances

Representing a team of South Korean league All-Stars, forward Cho Gue-sung netted an impressive goal against Tottenham Hotspur in their exhibition match Wednesday night. And Cho's coach thinks the 24-year-old player is good enough to score against European clubs on a regular basis in games that count. Cho headed in Team K League's first goal in their 6-3 loss to Spurs at Seoul World Cup Stadium. In the dying seconds of the first half, Aleksandar Palocevic found Cho with a picture-perfe

July 14, 2022

Ex-Barca prospect Lee Seung-woo named to K League All-Star team vs. Tottenham

FC Barcelona youth player Lee Seung-woo, who has quickly emerged as one of the most popular players in his South Korean season, will headline a K League All-Star squad against the visiting Tottenham Hotspur next week. The top South Korean league unveiled the 24-man "Team K League" on Thursday, six days before the summer exhibition match against Tottenham at Seoul World Cup Stadium. The 12 K League 1 clubs sent two players each. Teams were all asked to submit a list of candidates first.

July 7, 2022

Veteran forward fitting right in with nat'l football team after long absence

PAJU -- Seven years can seem like an eternity in football, even longer than some players' entire career. It has been seven years since forward Park Eun-seon last played for the South Korean women's national team. Once a prolific scorer, Park has mostly been a forgotten figure since representing the country at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. So much has changed with the women's program over that time, with new head coach Colin Bell at the helm and working with up-and-coming p

July 7, 2022

Japan-born N. Korean football player joins top-division S. Korean club

An Byong-jun, a Japan-born football player who has represented North Korea internationally, has joined a top-tier South Korean club after spending the past three-plus seasons in the second division. Suwon Samsung Bluewings of the K League 1 announced Wednesday they have signed An to an 18-month contract, with an option for an additional term, plucking him from Busan IPark in the K League 2. Suwon added An, a two-time K League 2 MVP and scoring champion, had first trained with his new club on Tue

July 6, 2022

K League-leading Ulsan looking to regroup as rivals make push

With their lead atop the South Korean football tables dwindling, Ulsan Hyundai FC will look for a bounce back in their midweek match against a team riding a rare winning streak. Ulsan will host Gangwon FC at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 310 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Ulsan are still licking their wounds after losing to Pohang Steelers 2-0 on Saturday. That loss, combined with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' 2-1 victory over Gimcheon Sangmu FC the same day, cut Ulsan

July 4, 2022

Jeonbuk closing in on Ulsan for K League lead

Ulsan Hyundai FC's lead atop the K League 1 tables shrank to five points on Saturday, with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, five-time defending champions, breathing hard down Ulsan's neck. Ulsan suffered a 2-0 loss to Pohang Steelers in their "East Coast Derby" on Saturday, while Jeonbuk rallied past Gimcheon Sangmu FC 2-1 the same day. Ulsan still lead the competition with 40 points but Jeonbuk have closed in on them with 35 points. Ulsan were in first place by 10 points entering t

July 3, 2022

FIFA's new offside technology to make World Cup debut in Qatar

FIFA announced Friday it will implement a new offside technology at this year's World Cup to help video match officials and on-field referees make faster and more accurate decisions.    Following a series of successful tests, FIFA's semiautomated offside technology (SAOT) will make its World Cup debut in Qatar in November.    The SAOT, which was tested at the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup and 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, is an extension of the video assistant referee (VAR) system, curr

July 1, 2022

Ulsan held by cellar dwellers, unable to extend K League 1 lead

As they try to win their first South Korean football championship since 2005, Ulsan Hyundai FC know every match counts, even a seemingly meaningless one against an eminently beatable team in late June. And if this K League 1 season plays out like the past three years and Ulsan once again fall achingly short of the title, the scoreless draw against last-place Seongnam FC on Sunday will be the match that Ulsan will look back on and say, "We should've won it." Despite a 74-26 edge in

June 27, 2022

S. Korean women hold Olympic champions Canada in football friendly

South Korea have collected a well-earned 0-0 draw against Olympic champions Canada in a women's football friendly match, their latest prep for an upcoming regional tournament and then the World Cup in 2023. Despite being outshot 13-3, world No. 18 South Korea held the sixth-ranked Canada without a goal at BMO Field in Toronto on Sunday (local time). Canada started attacking from early on, with Jordyn Huitema's header sailing just wide of the target on four minutes. In the 17th minute,

June 27, 2022

Jeonbuk climb to 2nd place in K League, keep pressure on Ulsan

This seems to be a good time to start throwing around cliches about championship mettle and pedigree in South Korean football. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, five-time defending champions in the K League 1, have climbed to second place behind Ulsan Hyundai FC, only the second time all season that they've been this high in the league tables. Jeonbuk defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2-1 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju on Wednesday for their first victory at home since the season opener on Feb.

June 23, 2022

Midfielder Hwang In-beom becomes hot commodity as FIFA extends Russian club contract rules

In light of a recent decision by FIFA to prolong rules to accommodate foreign players based in Russia, South Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom is once again poised to become a coveted figure in the open market. Hwang, a go-to midfielder for the South Korean national team, signed a short-term deal with FC Seoul in the K League 1 in April. He had been playing for the top-division Russian club Rubin Kazan since 2020, but he faced an uncertain future with the team following Russia‘s invasion

June 22, 2022

Jeonbuk beat Ulsan to add more drama to K League title race

In danger of fading away in their bid for a sixth consecutive title in South Korean football, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors rode a rare goal barrage to defeat first-place Ulsan Hyundai FC over the weekend. Takahiro Kunimoto netted twice as part of Jeonbuk's three-goal explosion in a 13-minute span, helping the five-time defending K League 1 champs to a 3-1 victory on Sunday at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan. Um Won-sang had the lone Ulsan goal in the 40th minute, but Jeonbuk had already scored th

June 20, 2022

Daegu FC forward Cesinha named K League's top player for May

Daegu FC's Brazilian forward Cesinha was named South Korean football's best player for May on Thursday, capturing his fourth career monthly prize. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced that Cesinha beat out three nominees for the Player of the Month prize for May. The winner was chosen based on votes by the K League's technical study group (60 percent), fans (25 percent) and players of "FIFA Online 4" (15 percent) by Electronic Arts (EA) Sports, the

June 16, 2022