South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung has been named the first torchbearer for the first Winter Olympics to take place in his native country. The organizing committee for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games said Wednesday that Park, the former men's national team captain, will carry the torch first after the lighting and handover ceremonies in Ancient Olympia, Greece, on Oct. 24. In this file p...

South Korea's culture minister vowed Wednesday to host a successful and safe Winter Olympics in February to a group of diplomatic mission chiefs in Korea. Do Jong-hwan, the minister of culture, sports and tourism, attended the opening of "World Culture Collage," a variety of multilateral cultural programs aimed at celebrating the cultural heritages of the countries participating in the upcoming ...

Former national men's figure skating champion Lee June-hyoung has earned a spot for host South Korea at next year's Winter Olympics. Lee established a new career high of 148.74 points in free skate for a total of 222.89, also a personal best, to rank fifth among 26 at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, on Friday (local time). This is the last qualifying competition for PyeongChang 2018...

South Korean ice dance tandem of Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin on Thursday found themselves on the bubble for next year's Winter Olympics on home ice. The duo scored 55.94 points in their short dance to rank seventh among 18 teams at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. This is the last Olympic qualifying competition, and the top five teams here will each earn a spot for the PyeongChan...

South Korea’s Olympic body said Wednesday 11 athletes have been selected as recipients of a scholarship from the International Olympic Committee. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said its 11 candidates for the Olympic Solidarity Commission’s scholarship program all received approval from the IOC. The selected athletes will receive $365 per month until Aug. 31, 2020, and will also get financ...

South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun and reigning Olympic fencing champion Park Sang-young were unveiled as torch runners for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Wednesday. Coca-Cola, a presenting partner for the torch relay, said Cha and Park will carry the Olympic flame in a group with youths from different walks of life. They have been named "Dream Mentors" for the young people, rangi...

JINCHEON -- A new training center for South Korea national team athletes officially opened Wednesday, signaling a fresh era in the country's sports history. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee hosted the opening ceremony of the National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, at 3 p.m. More than 2,000 guests, including Prime Mini...

Oak Tree Run 2017, a charity marathon, will take place at the heart of Seoul next month. Oak Tree Project, a program run by Jerusalem Mission, will host Oak Tree Run 2017 on Oct. 21 at Jamsil Han River Park, Seoul to raise money for orphans attending university. (Oak Tree Run Facebook) Runners can run 5-kilometer, 10-kilometer courses or a half-marathon. Registration fee is 33,000 won ($30). R...

Former South Korean national figure skating champion Lee June-hyoung will chase a spot at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the final qualifying event in Germany this week. Lee, a three-time South Korean champion, will skate at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany, starting Wednesday. In this last Olympic qualifying competition, six tickets to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games in th...

South Korean Olympic chief on Monday downplayed security concerns ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, saying countries are unlikely to skip the competition despite rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Lee Kee-heung, head of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, said while some countries may have reservations about sending their athletes to PyeongChang, about 80 kilometers south of...

The reigning French Open tennis champion Jelena Ostapenko won a tournament in South Korea on Sunday in her first trip to the country. The world No. 10 from Latvia defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 6(5)-7, 6-1, 6-4 to win the KEB Hana Bank Incheon Airport Korea Open at Olympic Park in Seoul. It's the only Women's Tennis Association Tour event in South Korea each year. Ostapenko, the first p...

With an annual turnover of $6 billion, South Korea is becoming a major player in thoroughbred horse racing. The Korea Racing Authority (KRA) have a plan to turn the Korea Cup and Korea Sprint from international grade three races to grade one races. Light show scene at night with illuminated horses and heart installations with lit up trees in background Internationalization is already happening,...

Entering the Olympic season in a few days, South Korean short track speed skaters said Monday they'll focus more on the process than the end results. The national team skaters will compete at the 2017-2018 International Skating Union World Cup Short Track Speed Skating season starting Sept. 28 in Budapest, Hungary. Three more World Cups will take place in Dordrecht in the Netherlands, Shanghai a...

Days from his senior international debut, South Korean short track speed skater Lim Hyo-jun said Monday he's got butterflies in his stomach. In April, the 21-year-old stunned former Olympic gold medalists and world champions to earn a spot on the national team for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In tune-ups for the Olympics on home ice, Lim will compete in the International Skating Union W...

The reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko said Monday she thinks the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis is open to any top-10 player in the world, saying youngsters, including herself, will emerge as powerhouses. Ostapenko, currently world No. 10, came to South Korea last Friday to compete at the KEB HanaBank Incheon Airport Korea Open, the country's only Women's Tennis Association Tour ev...