6 years after PyeongChang 2018, Gangwon Province back in spotlight as host of Winter Youth Olympics

Six years after hosting the Winter Olympic Games, the South Korean eastern province of Gangwon will be back in the winter sports spotlight this month, as it stages the fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics. The youth competition will open Jan. 19 and wrap up Feb. 1. It will be the first Winter Youth Olympics to take place outside Europe, after Austria, Norway and Switzerland took turns. The 2024 Winter Youth Olympics will use many of the venues from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, ma

Jan. 8, 2024

S. Korea to host Asia's 1st Homeless World Cup in 2024

Seoul will stage an international football tournament for homeless people in 2024, the event's organizers announced this week, making South Korea the first Asian host of the annual competition. The 2024 Homeless World Cup will be coming to the South Korean capital for an eight-day run in October, the Homeless World Cup Foundation and the Big Issue Korea said Tuesday. The exact dates and venue will be announced early next year, officials added. The Homeless World Cup, bringing together homel

Dec. 20, 2023

Teen short tracker Kim Gil-li completes 1,500m sweep at ISU World Cup on home ice

South Korean teenager Kim Gil-li completed her sweep of women's 1,500-meter titles at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating on home ice Sunday. Kim won the second of two 1,500m finals at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul on Sunday, some 24 hours after winning the first one, with a time of 2:23.746. Kristen Santos-Griswold of the United States finished second in 2:23.968, followed by Hanne Desmet of Belgium in 2:24.283. The 19-year-old has never previously won t

Dec. 17, 2023

S. Korean stars cruise through early stages at ISU World Cup Short Track

South Korean stars breezed through the opening phases of the International Skating Union World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Seoul on Friday. There were few upsets on Day 1 of the three-day competition at Mokdong Ice Rink in the capital city. Kim Gil-li, who leads all female skaters this season with 615 World Cup points, won Heat 3 in the quarterfinals of the first 1,500-meter race and then finished first in Heat 1 in the second 1,500m race. The top three skaters from each of the six heats,

Dec. 15, 2023

Sports and politics, not the most ideal mix in public's eyes

South Korean soccer hero Park Ji-sung recently denied speculations that he would join the ruling People Power Party, saying that he would "appreciate it if such propositions did not take place in the future." "I never even imagined becoming a politician, and I don't even feel the slightest need to imagine such a thing. ... I was shocked that such speculation even exists," the former Manchester United midfielder said Thursday. He was responding to a media report last mont

Dec. 15, 2023

K League 1 champions Ulsan Hyundai FC renamed Ulsan HD FC for new season

Ulsan Hyundai FC, two-time reigning champions in the top South Korean football league, will be called Ulsan HD FC beginning in 2024. Ulsan announced Wednesday night that rebranding is in line with the recent name change of the club's corporate owner to HD Hyundai. Ulsan celebrated their 40th anniversary in South Korean football in 2023 by capturing their second consecutive title in the top-flight K League 1. It was Ulsan's fourth championship overall. According to the club, the rebrand

Dec. 14, 2023

World No. 1 An Se-young named world's top female badminton player for 2023

South Korean badminton stars An Se-young and Seo Seung-jae have been named the world's best players for the year 2023. The Badminton World Federation honored An and Seo as its Female and Male Player of the Year awards winners at its year-end ceremony in Hangzhou, China, Monday night. An, who climbed to world No. 1 in July at age 21, won her first career Asian Games gold medal in the same city of Hangzhou in October while battling through a knee injury in the final. The BWF recognized athlet

Dec. 12, 2023

Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu named global ambassador for Winter Youth Olympics in S. Korea

Eileen Gu, a two-time Olympic freestyle skiing champion for China, has been named a global ambassador for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics opening in South Korea next month. The organizers of the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon Province, on the east coast of the country, announced Wednesday that Gu, 20, will serve as a mentor for young athletes and also use her considerable social media presence to drive up interest in the Jan. 19-Feb. 1 competition. Gu, 20, won gold medals in the women's bi

Dec. 6, 2023

Can 'Singles Inferno' boost basketball's popularity?

With the third season of Netflix dating reality show "Singles Inferno" ready to release next week, one participant grabbing the eyes of local basketball fans is Lee Gwan-hee, a brash, outspoken and somewhat-controversial guard playing for the Changwon LG Sakers of the Korea Basketball League. Lee’s appearance will mark the first time an active professional athlete will appear in the wildly popular show, and fans of the mildly liked KBL are wondering if the publicity will help boo

Dec. 5, 2023

Back in old boots, speed skater Kim Min-sun grabs 1st World Cup title of season

Immediately after going back to her old boots, South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun returned to a familiar place -- the top of the podium at a World Cup competition. Kim won the women's 500-meter title at the latest International Skating Union World Cup Speed Skating stop in Stavanger, Norway, on Sunday. Kim clocked her season-best 37.73 seconds for her first World Cup gold medal of this season in five tries. Erin Jackson of the United States, the 2022 Olympic champion, ranked second in 37

Dec. 4, 2023

Hyundai Motor chief reaffirms commitment to support Korean archery

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun on Friday reiterated the automaker’s unwavering support for Korean archery, emphasizing the need to find ways for archery to contribute to the society. “In the mid to long term, (we) should put in effort to (bring archery) closer to the public and we must think about how archery can contribute to our society and act on it,” said Chung at an event held at Grand Walkerhill Seoul to commemorate the 60th anniversary of South Korean a

Dec. 1, 2023

Suwon Fencing Federation seeks to foster dreams of youth athletes

Despite not being the most populous country in Asia, South Korea has won more fencing medals than any other state in Asian Games history, winning 134 to edge out China by two as of 2023. At the root of such success are efforts to aid growth of young prospects in the sport, such as Suwon Fencing Federation’s Korea Club Championship - Fencing that took place at Aju University in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 11-12. The event was attended by some 100 athletes from elementary, middle and h

Nov. 24, 2023

T1, Faker unrivaled at 2023 LoL World Championship

  Korea's League of Legends team T1 has hoisted the Summoner’s Cup for the first time in seven years, beating the Pro League’s Weibo Gaming of China in the LoL World Championship Finals on Sunday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, southern Seoul. Sunday night's victory marked T1 and team superstar Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok’s fourth win in the World Championship following stunning victories in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Faker became the player with the most championship tit

Nov. 20, 2023

South Korea's T1 win record fourth League of Legends world title

South Korean powerhouse T1 swept aside China's Weibo Gaming on Sunday to clinch a record fourth League of Legends world championship, widely considered the Super Bowl of e-sports. T1 won three straight games in the best-of-five final at the Gocheok Sky Dome stadium in the South Korean capital, roared on by a capacity crowd of 18,000. Legions of fans descended on Seoul for the final of the League of Legends world championship, which has rapidly grown since the first edition in 2011 into one

Nov. 19, 2023

Minjee Lee grabs 36-hole lead at LPGA stop in S. Korea

Australian star Minjee Lee seized a 36-hole lead at the lone LPGA tournament in South Korea on Friday. Lee, born in Perth to Korean parents, shot a three-under 69 to reach 11-under at the BMW Ladies Championship at Seowon Hills at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, northwest of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province. Lee, who counts two majors among her nine LPGA titles, recorded four birdies against one bogey. She sits two strokes ahead of Alison Lee of the United States and Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa

Oct. 20, 2023

League of Legends fans question impartiality of Swiss stage draw

A total of 16 League of Legends esports teams started competing for the grand prize of the Summoner’s Cup at the annual LoL World Championship on Thursday. But some esports fans are questioning the fairness of the tournament. Controversy erupted Thursday night when an online post surfaced with a screenshot image of the Swiss stage draw. The Swiss stage is a newly introduced nonelimination tournament that offers a fixed number of matches, allowing the players to qualify for the next round b

Oct. 20, 2023

Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl elected as IOC member

South Korean sports administrator Kim Jae-youl was elected as a new member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday, becoming the 12th person from the country to join the top Olympic body. Kim, 55, was one of eight new members whose candidacy was ratified during the IOC Session in Mumbai, about a month after the IOC's Executive Board first recommended their nomination. The vote by IOC members at the session was considered a formality. A successful candidate needed a majority

Oct. 17, 2023

N. Korea dominates in weightlifting in return to int'l sports competition

HANGZHOU(Yonhap) -- Marking its return to international multisport competition after a five-year absence, North Korea dominated in weightlifting at the 19th Asian Games in China. Athletes and officials from the reclusive regime also generated headlines away from the field of play in and around Hangzhou. North Korea had been absent from the past two major international sports competitions. It skipped the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, citing COVID-19 concerns. The International Olympic Committe

Oct. 9, 2023

19th Asian Games draw to conclusion with ceremony celebrating memories of Hangzhou

HANGZHOU (Yonhap) -- The 19th Asian Games ended Sunday with a celebration of the memories created over the past two weeks in the Chinese host city of Hangzhou. With nearly 12,000 athletes from 45 nations in action, this was the largest-ever edition of the Asian Games, which began in 1951. These competitors vied for 481 gold medals in 61 disciplines in 40 sports. The Hangzhou Asiad was initially set for September 2022 but was postponed by a year due to lingering COVID-19 concerns. China made it

Oct. 9, 2023

Men's, women's nat'l volleyball coaches let go after disappointing Asiad

The South Korean volleyball governing body announced Sunday it has parted ways with the head coaches of both the men's and women's national teams, in light of their disappointing performances at the 19th Asian Games in China. The Korea Volleyball Association (KVA) said Im Do-hun, the men's coach, will not be brought back after his contract expired following his team's early exit from the Asian Games tournament in Hangzhou in late September. For the women's team, Cesar He

Oct. 8, 2023