S. Korea defeat Ghana in key Olympic football tuneup

With a goal in each half, South Korea beat Ghana 2-1 on Tuesday in a crucial men‘s football prep match for the Tokyo Olympics. SC Freiburg midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong opened the scoring for the hosts in the 41st minute at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, with second-half substitute Lee Dong-jun netting the go-ahead goal in the 65th. South Korea won the first game over Ghana 3-1 last Saturday. This was the last match before head coach Kim Hak-bum finalizes his 18-man rost

June 15, 2021

Final tests on horizon for S. Korea before Olympic football tournament

And there will be 18. That's the size of the South Korean men's football roster for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Head coach Kim Hak-bum will get a couple of opportunities to test Olympic hopefuls starting Saturday, when the first of two tuneup matches against Ghana will be played in Jeju Island. The kickoff is 7 p.m. at Jeju World Cup Stadium in the city of Seogwipo. Kim called up 28 players for his training camp: three goalkeepers, 10 defenders, eight midfielders and seven forwards. While th

June 10, 2021

S. Korea rout Sri Lanka 5-0 in World Cup qualifier

Forward Kim Shin-wook had a brace and teen sensation Jeong Sang-bin scored in his international debut, helping South Korea beat up on Sri Lanka 5-0 in a World Cup qualifying match at home on Wednesday. Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Dong-gyeong had a goal apiece against 10-man Sri Lanka at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as South Korea remained atop Group H in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. South Korea improved to 13 points from four wins and

June 9, 2021

S. Korea coach not fixing what's not broken ahead of World Cup qualifier

As attested by a convincing 5-0 victory over Turkmenistan over the weekend, there's clearly very little, if anything, wrong with South Korea in the ongoing World Cup qualifying campaign. On the eve of the next qualifier against Sri Lanka at home, South Korea head coach Paulo Bento said Tuesday he isn't about to fix anything that isn't broken. "We have not changed our style of play so far, and there's no reason why we should at this moment," Bento said in an online prematch press conf

June 8, 2021

S. Korea looking to build on momentum in World Cup qualifier vs. Sri Lanka

In preparing for two remaining matches in the second round of the Asian qualifying for the next World Cup, South Korean defensive back Kim Min-jae said Monday he wanted to string together two more clean sheets. He may well have been speaking for the rest of his team, with South Korea set to face the heavy underdogs Sri Lanka on Wednesday. It will be the second of three qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be staged at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. The kickoff is 8 p.m

June 8, 2021

'Gone too soon': Tributes pour in for late World Cup hero Yoo Sang-chul

Tributes have been flooding in from around the football world for Yoo Sang-chul, a star of the semifinalist South Korean team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup who passed away Monday night at 49. Yoo succumbed to pancreatic cancer after a battle that began in November 2019. One of the most versatile players in South Korean football history, Yoo made the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2002 as a midfielder after helping the country to the final four on home soil. Yoo scored the insurance goal in South

June 8, 2021

S. Korea take step toward redemption with dominant performance in World Cup qualifier

That's more like it. That South Korea defeated Turkmenistan 5-0 in their World Cup qualifying match on Saturday wasn't a surprise in itself. The biggest takeaway is that South Korea, in addition to beating the team they were supposed to beat, looked good doing it. And that hadn't always been the case with the underachieving national team in recent matches. The win at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, kept South Korea at the top of Group H in the second round of the Asian qualificat

June 6, 2021

S. Korea coach taking it one match at a time as World Cup qualifying round resumes

With South Korea set to resume their World Cup qualifying campaign on home soil on the weekend, national team head coach Paulo Bento is metaphorically putting on his noise-canceling headphones. Bento finds himself in the hot seat after South Korea dropped a friendly match to rivals Japan 3-0 in March, a result that led to growing calls for the Portuguese coach's dismissal. Bento hasn't gone anywhere, and he now has a chance to redeem himself and put South Korea back on track. South Korea will

June 4, 2021

S. Korea seeking redemption as World Cup qualifying campaign resumes

After a pandemic-induced hiatus of more than a year, South Korea will resume their bid for a 10th consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance on the weekend on home soil. The boys in red will also try to redeem themselves after a humiliating loss to rivals Japan in spring. The second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 World Cup has been on hold since November 2019. South Korea and the rest of Group H were scheduled to return to action in March 2020, but all of their matches scheduled for

June 3, 2021

Military exemption not on player's mind ahead of potential Olympic opportunity

South Korean midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon is training with the senior national team this week in preparation for World Cup qualifying matches later this month, but he could be forgiven for thinking instead about the Tokyo Olympics in July. As a 26-year-old, Kwon wouldn't normally be eligible for the Olympic tournament, which is limited to players 23 or younger, though the age limit has been extended to 24 this year after the Tokyo Games got postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bu

June 2, 2021

Speedsters on Olympic football team embracing roster competition

Lee Dong-jun and Um Won-sang, both participating in the South Korean men's Olympic team training camp, bring much of the same qualities to the table. As two of the fastest players on the 28-man roster, the two forwards can keep opponents on their toes, find open space behind the defense and provide instant spark off the bench in a tight match. When head coach Kim Hak-bum sets his final, 18-man team for the Tokyo Olympics, he may opt to take only one of Lee and Um, given their overlapping skill

June 2, 2021

Struggling Jeonbuk keep sliding down K League tables

Could this spell the end of the greatest dynasty in South Korean football? Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, four-time defending K League 1 champions, have tumbled down from first to fourth in the tables over the past two weeks. They were still at the top before facing rivals Ulsan Hyundai FC on May 19. They dropped that match 4-2 and slipped to second place. And their winless skid reached seven matches Saturday, following a 1-1 draw with Incheon United. Only an injury time goal by Takahiro Kunimoto sa

May 31, 2021

Crafty midfielder rejoins K League club after European stint

After more than four years away, South Korean international midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon is rejoining his old club. Suwon Samsung Bluewings of the K League 1 announced Wednesday they've reacquired the 26-year-old midfielder. Financial terms were not disclosed. Kwon made his professional debut for Suwon in 2013 and spent four seasons there, notching 22 goals and nine assists in 109 matches at all competitions. He embarked on a European career in January 2017, first signing with the French club D

May 26, 2021

Son Heung-min, rising stars to represent S. Korea at World Cup qualifiers

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min and a group of youngsters will look to take South Korea to the next phase in the ongoing qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Son was one of 28 players named to the South Korean men's national team Monday by head coach Paulo Bento, ahead of three World Cup qualifying matches scheduled for June. South Korea will serve as the centralized venue for all remaining Group H matches in the second round qualifying action for Asian countries. Teams last p

May 24, 2021

Tottenham's Son Heung-min ends 6th Premier League season with career-best 17 goals

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has wrapped up his most successful Premier League campaign to date. Son got the start and was taken out during second-half injury time, as Tottenham beat Leicester City 4-2 at King Power Stadium in Leicester, England, on Sunday (local time). It provided a positive conclusion to an otherwise disappointing season for Tottenham, which finished in seventh place on 62 points and settled for the third-tier continental competition, UEFA Europa Confe

May 24, 2021

S. Korea to face Ghana in Olympic men's football tuneups

The South Korean men's Olympic football team will host Ghana twice next month for tuneup matches ahead of the Tokyo Summer Games. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Friday the two countries will play at 7 p.m. on June 12 and again at 8 p.m. on June 15. Both matches will be played at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island. These will be the first official matches for South Korea's under-23 Olympic team since November last year, when they faced Egypt and Brazil in a friendly

May 21, 2021

[Newsmaker] Football star Ki Sung-yueng grilled over suspected land speculation case

Football star Ki Sung-yueng has been summoned by police and questioned on charges of illegally buying and using farmland in the southwestern city Gwangju, police said Monday. Ki, the captain of FC Seoul in the K League 1, was grilled as a suspect by investigators at the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency for three hours, beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the police agency said. Ki and his father, Ki Young-ok, have been booked without detention on charges of violating the Agricultural Land Act and

May 3, 2021

Tottenham's Son Heung-min ties career high with 21st goal of season

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has tied his European single-season career high with 21 goals. In a Premier League match against Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time), the South Korean star netted a goal to help his team get a comfortable 4-0 victory. It is Son's 16th goal of the 2020-2021 Premier League season, placing him third on the Premier League's top scorer list, following his teammate Harry Kane with a leading 21 goals and Mohamed Salah of Liv

May 3, 2021

FC Seoul defender Hwang Hyun-soo diagnosed with COVID-19

FC Seoul defender Hwang Hyun-soo has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the K League 1 club said Monday. The 26-year-old was given a positive coronavirus test result Sunday afternoon after an acquaintance he met six days prior tested positive for the virus, the club said. Hwang learned of the infection of his acquaintance Saturday afternoon and immediately reported it to his club, which relayed the news to the Korea Professional Football League (K League). All other FC Seoul players and coaches te

May 3, 2021

Son Heung-min's career-high 15th goal results in Tottenham's 2-1 victory over Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur's striker Son Heung-min has scored his career-high 15th goal in a Premier League season In a Premier League match against Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Wednesday (local time), the South Korean star netted a goal from the penalty spot in added time to give his team a 2-1 victory. It is Son's 15th goal of the 2020-2021 Premier League season, breaking his previous personal best total of 14 set in the 2016-2017 season. Son placed fourth in the league's to

April 22, 2021