[PyeongChang 2018] Speedskater Lee Sang-hwa goes for gold Sunday

South Korean Olympic speedskating empress Lee Sang-hwa is set to compete in the women‘s 500 meters speedskating against archrival Nao Kodiara of Japan at Gangneung Oval on Sunday.Lee, a two-time champion in the women’s 500 meters, holds the world record in for the distance at 36.36 seconds, a mark she achieved in 2013. Kodaira, however, has fiercely threatened Lee’s record, establishing a personal best of 36.5 seconds at the fourth ISU World Cup Speed Skating competition in December last year. L

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Over 90 pct of PyeongChang Olympic tickets sold: organizing committee

More than 90 percent of all tickets at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics have been sold, according to the organizing committee Saturday.“The rate of tickets sold has reached 92.8 percent, with 991,000 of the total 1,068,000 tickets at the Games sold,” Sung Baik-you, spokesperson for the PyeongChang Olympic organizing committee, said at a press conference at the Main Press Centre in PyeongChang. (Yonhap)Of the combined 92,000 tickets for Saturday, 90,000 have been purchased, marking the biggest dai

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Moon to attend short track speed skating finals

President Moon Jae-in will attend the short track speed skating finals at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Saturday evening, his aides said.  (Cheong Wa Dae)Moon will cheer for Korean athletes competing in the men's 1,000 meters and the women's 1,500 meters at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung.He will also meet journalists covering the Olympics and host a dinner with organizing committee officials and volunteers, they said. (Yonhap) 

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Mental training key to S. Korean skeleton sliders' success

 South Korean skeleton sliders' remarkable achievements at the PyeongChang Olympic Games were largely helped by mental training, the coach of the athletes said Saturday.South Korea saw Yun Sung-bin become the first Asian to claim the gold medal in the men's skeleton Friday, while his teammate Kim Ji-soo took sixth in his Winter Games debut.South Korean skeleton sliders Yun Sung-bin (L) with the gold medal and Kim Ji-soo pose for a photo at Team Korea House in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Feb.

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Korean team eyes gold in men and women’s short track

With two gold medals already under its belt, South Korea is looking for gold medals in both the men’s and women‘s short track speedskating events at the PyeongChang Games later Saturday.Lim Hyo-jun, who earned the country its first gold on Feb. 10 in the men’s 1,500 meters, will compete alongside compatriots Seo Yi-ra and Hwang Dae-heon in the men’s 1,000 final.Choi Min-jeong (Yonhap)Choi Min-jeong, who initially placed second but was disqualified in a controversial ruling in the women’s 500-met

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Gangneung Media Village worker in 50s found dead

An employee at Gangneung Media Village, a residential apartment complex used by media personnel covering the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, was found dead Saturday, according to police.  (Yonhap)The 55-year-old, only identified by his surname Kim, was found dead at 6:45 a.m. at his temporary apartment in the village, located in the sub-host city of Gangneung, according to police.Kim reportedly complained of having chest pains after dining with co-workers Friday evening. He was discovered by a co-w

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Coach of skeleton gold medalist urges more support for other snow sports

South Korean national bobsleigh and skeleton team head coach Lee Yong on Saturday called for more financial support for snow sports, saying such backing can produce Olympic medalists like his pupil Yun Sung-bin.Lee, who has been coaching bobsledders and skeleton sliders since 2011, said he burst into tears when Yun won the gold medal in the men's skeleton at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Friday, becoming the first Asian to stand on an Olympic podium in sledding sports. He said the 23-year-o

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Skeleton champion hoping to see more S. Koreans on podium in future

GANGNEUNG -- Now an Olympic gold medalist, South Korean skeleton slider Yun Sung-bin said Saturday he wants to see more of his compatriots standing on the podium at international competitions in the future.Yun became the first Asian to win a medal in sledding sports at the Winter Olympics after claiming gold in the men’s skeleton Friday. At Olympic Sliding Centre, he was the fastest one to cross the finish line in all four heats, with a combined time of 3 minutes, 20.55 seconds.Yun Sung-bin (Yon

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Lee Sang-hwa aims for 3rd gold, bobsleigh duo to begin medal hunt

South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa will compete for her third Olympic gold medal on Sunday, as the bobsleigh tandem of Won Yun-jong and Seo Young-woo begins their hunt for a spot on the podium in the two-man bobsleigh event at the PyeongChang Winter Games.Lee will compete in the women's 500m speed skating event at Gangneung Oval in the sub-host city of Gangneung. The two-time Olympic champion is betting everything on the 500m race, having dropped out of Wednesday's 1,000m event to focus on S

Feb. 17, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] 2 Swiss athletes contract norovirus

Two athletes from Switzerland have contracted norovirus during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, team officials said Friday.The two unidentified athletes are the first Olympians to be infected by the virus, which is known to cause stomach pain and diarrhea. Hundreds of security officers and others working at the Olympics had previously been affected.(Yonhap)Team Swiss said the two athletes were taken to single rooms and treated by team doctors. They haven't been staying at the athletes' village,

Feb. 17, 2018

[Newsmaker] S. Korean 'curleesis' score surprise wins against Canada, Switzerland

South Korea’s female curling team, which ranks eighth in the world, defeated second-ranked Switzerland Friday after dispatching first-ranked Canada in a surprise victory Thursday. The Korean team won 8-6 against Canada and 7-5 against Switzerland.The four-member Korean team is composed of Kim Yeong-mi, Kim Seon-yeong, Kim Kyeong-ae and Kim Eun-jung. The women’s team still have to win four more games to advance to the semifinals, having lost to Japan on Thursday evening. After the preliminary rou

Feb. 16, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Why the Pooh bears for Yuzuru Hanyu?

Olympian Yuzuru Hanyu leads the men’s short program figure skating after receiving a score of 111.68 on Friday.Shoma Uno, Hanyu’s fellow Japanese Olympian, came in third with 104.17.Hanyu and Uno are respectively first and second in the world men’s figure skating rankings.Pooh bears for Yuzuru Hanyu (EPA-Yonhap)A storm of Pooh bears for Yuzuru Hanyu (EPA-Yonhap)A flower girl carries the gifts given to Yuzuru Hanyu (EPA-Yonhap)On Thursday, spectator seats were crowded with Japanese fans craning t

Feb. 16, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] South Korea’s ‘Iron Man’ Yun Sung-bin wins historic gold in men’s skeleton

South Korea’s “Iron Man” Yun Sung-bin claimed a historic gold in men’s skeleton at PyeongChang on Friday, becoming the first athlete outside North America and Europe to win an Olympic medal in winter sliding sports.The 23-year-old’s four-run time of 3 minutes, 20.55 seconds was 1.63 seconds ahead of Russia’s Nikita Tregubov who claimed silver, marking the largest victory margin in Olympic skeleton history, and the largest margin in any Olympic sliding competition since 1972. “I just want to turn

Feb. 16, 2018

[Photo News] Cha Jun-hwan’s mane in full majesty

Cha Jun-hwan’s mane was in full majesty as he completes a jump at the short program of the men’s figure skating, Friday.Cha finished with a score of 83.43 points, putting him in 15th place. Cha was trained by Korean figure skating legend Yuna Kim’s former coach Brian Orser, who also coached Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu and Spain’s Javier Fernandez.The event finishes Saturday morning with the free skating program slated for 10 a.m.Cha, 16, modeled for chocolate snack Choco Pie and several other TV commer

Feb. 16, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] British IOC member expelled from Olympics after run-in with security

A British International Olympic Committee member was sent home from the Winter Olympics, Thursday, following an altercation with a security guard.Adam Pengilly, one of three British IOC members, was accused of injuring a guard who blocked his path.According to South Korean public broadcaster KBS, the incident took place on Thursday at around 8:40 a.m.The security guard claimed that he asked Pengilly to use the footpath rather than the bus lane. But Pengilly allegedly swore at him and at Korea, s

Feb. 16, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] South Korea's Yun Sung-bin wins gold in men's skeleton

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province  -- Yun Sung-bin became the first Asian to stand on the podium in an Olympic skeleton competition with his gold medal run Friday.Yun, currently No. 1 in the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) rankings, claimed gold in the men's skeleton competition at the 23rd Winter Olympics, with a combined time of 3 minutes, 20.55 seconds after four runs. He was 1.63 seconds faster than the silver medalist Nikita Tregubov of the Olympic Athletes from Russia. Y

Feb. 16, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Events for South Korea on Day 8

The following is the list of events for South Korean athletes on Saturday at the2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. All times are local.  Austria`s Katharina Liensberger competes in the Women`s Slalom at the Jeongseon Alpine Center during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang on February 16, 2018. (AFP-Yonhap)- Biathlon (Alpensia Biathlon Centre)Women's 12.5km mass start (8:15 p.m.)- Curling (Gangneung Curling Centre)Men's round robin session 6 (South Korea vs Britain) (2:05 p.m

Feb. 16, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] S. Korean female curling team beats Canada in surprise move

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- South Korea’s female curling team on Thursday defeated Canada, considered the strongest gold candidate, in its first event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.　During the competition held at the Gangneung Curling Centre, the team achieved a score of 8-6 against Canada. The Canadians lead the world in the sport and posted 13 consecutive wins at last year’s 2017 World Women‘s Curling Championship.The South Korean women`s curling team competes against Canada during the

Feb. 15, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] ‘Proud’ American parents cheer on adopted daughter on Korean hockey team

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- Greg and Robin Brandt are proud hockey parents. They have not one, but two daughters playing in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics here this month.Sisters Hannah and Marissa Brandt (Instagram: @marissacbrandt)The twist: their two daughters, Marissa and Hannah, actually play for two different countries.Marissa Brandt, 25, is a minute-eating defensewoman for the joint Korean team. Born in South Korea, she was adopted by the Brandts as an infant, and after regaining her

Feb. 15, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] North Korean figure skating pairs team sets personal best to finish 13th at PyeongChang

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- North Korean figure skating pairs team of Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik on Thursday established new personal best scores at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.　In the free skating held at the Gangneung Ice Arena, Ryom and Kim earned 124.23 points to break their previous personal high of 119.9 points. With a personal best 69.40 points in the short program on the previous day, they earned 193.63 points overall, the highest total of their career, to finish 13th. It‘s the hi

Feb. 15, 2018