Korean actor and singer Kim Hyun-joong will hold a concert tour across Japan, his agency Keyeast announced on Saturday.The rising hallyu star successfully hosted his first solo album showcase in Tokyo on Friday, attracting more than 2,000 fans and reporters at the Tokyo International Forum.  Actor and singer Kim Hyun-joong poses before his album showcase in Tokyo on Friday. (Yonhap News)Speaking a

People July 31, 2011

South Korean pop group Wonder Girls will become honorary ambassadors for the 2013 Special Olympics, the organizer announced on Wednesday.The girl group accepted an invitation from the Special Olympic governing body to help promote the 2013 Games after performing at the closing ceremony of the 2011 Games in Athens, according to the local organizer.PyeongChang, the host city of 2018 Winter Games, wi

People July 28, 2011

In 30 days, Daegu, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, will play host to the world’s fastest and strongest athletes as well as hundreds of international sports officials. Daegu is preparing for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics which is slated for Aug. 27-Sept. 4. The biannual event is one of the world’s top three sporting events along with the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. In fac

More Sports July 27, 2011

 Becoming champions in as prestigious a competition as the 13th World Championships in Athletics is any sprinter’s dream.But for Korean athletes to even qualify for the competition will be a huge achievement given the country’s current level of competitiveness.The last World Championships in Berlin ended in disappointment, as all 19 Korean athletes were knocked out in preliminary rounds.This year,

More Sports July 27, 2011

 With just 30 days to go until the opening of the IAAF World Championships, local organizers are busy making final preparations. Jerry Ling, 34, from Singapore, is among the officials who have been working day and night trying to deliver the best ever athletics competition in Daegu.“I joined the Local Organizing Committee in 2009 and have been busy preparing for the Championships ever since,” Ling

More Sports July 27, 2011

Bolt, Isinbayeva, world’s big names sure to attract international attentionSouth Korea has already staged the 1988 Olympics and the 2002 World Cup, and now the world’s eyes will be on the country once again. More than 2,400 athletes from 207 members national of the IAAF will compete at the Daegu World Championships in Athletics next month, which make it the largest-ever tournament of its kind. The

More Sports July 27, 2011

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan failed to win his second gold medal at the World Championships in Shanghai on Tuesday after finishing fourth in the 200-meter freestyle with 1 minute 44:92 seconds. American swimmer Ryan Lochte clocked 1:44.44 to snatch the gold medal of the event, ahead of his countryman Michael Phelps, who finished second with a 1:44:79, while world record holder Paul Bie

More Sports July 26, 2011

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan successfully retained his 400-meter freestyle crown following a fine swim at the World Championships in Shanghai on Sunday.The 22-year-old clocked 3 minutes 42.04 seconds to win the gold medal of the event, beating Chinese rivals Sun Yang who finished second in 3:43:24.(Yonhap News)His time was 2.03 seconds behind the world record of 3:40:07 set by Germany’

More Sports July 24, 2011

Last week in Durban, South Africa, a group of Korean delegates were leaping and hugging each other with joy when the International Olympic Committee finally declared PyeongChang as the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics.Ermanno Gardella was there too, joining the festive crowd and enjoying the success of PyeongChang’s bid. “I supported PyeongChang,” said the secretary general of the International Bo

More Sports July 15, 2011

 NBA star Kobe Bryant arrived in Seoul on Thursday as part of an Asian tour organized by his sponsor Nike to promote basketball here.  The LA Lakers guard arrived in Gimpo Airport on his private jet around 11 a.m. Thursday. After a brief news conference, he went directly to Korea University in Seoul to host a mini clinic for local high school and university students.  NBA basketball star Kobe Brya

More Sports July 14, 2011

It has been an unusually quiet year for Korean women’s golf. In recent years, the leader board at LPGA golf events has been dominated by Korean women: they combined for 22 wins from 2009-2010. But this year has been disappointing with no title yet for the Koreans until last week. The deadlock was finally broken when Ryu So-yeon claimed the U.S. Women’s Open title on Monday by beating her fellow co

Golf July 12, 2011

Korea’s U23 head coach Hong Myung-bo (Yonhap News)South Korea is grouped with Saudi Arabia in the final Asian qualifying round for the London 2012 Olympics. In a draw held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, Korea was picked to face the Middle Eastern side along with Qatar and Oman in Group A.Twelve teams have qualified for the third round where they have been divided into three groups of four

More Sports July 7, 2011

New horizons, compact game plan and strong public support convince IOC voters Residents of Gangwon Province cheer with excitement as the IOC announces PyeongChang as the host city of the 2018 Winter Games at the Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Wednesday. (Yonhap News)He was silent, and did not know what to say. Finally, Kim Man-ki, the communication director of PyeongChang 2018 b

More Sports July 7, 2011