Ex-Olympic table tennis champion elected as head of Korean Olympic committee

Former Olympic table tennis champion Ryu Seung-min was elected as head of the South Korean Olympic committee Tuesday. Ryu earned 417 votes from 1,209 voters to become the new president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, denying incumbent Lee Kee-heung a third term. The election appeared in danger of being postponed when a group of 11 voters, led by Korea Ice Hockey Association President Lee Ho-jin, and an election candidate Kang Shin-wook each filed for an injunction to halt the proceeding

Jan. 14, 2025

Korean Series champions Tigers retain free agent Seo Geon-chang

The defending Korean Series champions Kia Tigers announced Thursday they have retained free agent Seo Geon-chang. The Tigers said Seo signed to a one-year deal, with a vesting option for a second season, meaning that it will become guaranteed if Seo reaches a performance incentive threshold this year. Seo can make as much as 500 million won ($343,480) with this deal. Seo joined the Tigers, his hometown team based in the southern city of Gwangju, before the 2024 Korea Baseball Organization season

Jan. 9, 2025

PGA Tour veterans looking to build on fond memories in Hawaii this week

With a win and a runner-up finish between them over the past two seasons at the Sony Open in Hawaii on the PGA Tour, South Korean veterans An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo said Wednesday they will try to build on their fond memories of the tournament this week. Both will tee off at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu starting Thursday. It will be their second tournament of the 2025 season, following The Sentry, also in Hawaii, last week. An lost in the playoff to Grayson Murray at last

Jan. 8, 2025

Opportunity opens up for new Dodger Kim Hye-seong following trade of incumbent infielder

With an infield logjam addressed in a reported trade, the Los Angeles Dodgers' new South Korean player Kim Hye-seong appears to have a clearer path to playing time than when he signed last week. According to multiple reports coming out of the United States on Monday (local time), the Dodgers have traded second baseman Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a draft pick and an outfield prospect Mike Sirota. Lux was the Dodgers' primary second baseman in 2024, making 138 appearances ther

Jan. 7, 2025

Korean coach leads Vietnam to ASEAN Cup glory

'Kim Sang-sik magic' follows Park Hang-seo, former Korean coach who guided Vietnam to 2018 victory Vietnam's national soccer team, led by Korean head coach Kim Sang-sik, clinched a historic victory in the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup, securing a third championship in the prestigious regional tournament. Vietnam defeated Thailand 3-2 in the second leg of the final Sunday at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, sealing a 5-3 aggregate win. The victory marked Vietnam's first ASEAN Cup ti

Jan. 6, 2025

S. Korean Im Sung-jae finishes 3rd in PGA Tour season opener

South Korean Im Sung-jae finished third at the PGA Tour season opener in Hawaii, getting his 2025 campaign off to a strong start. Im shot a bogey-free 65 in the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua in Kapalua, Hawaii, on Sunday. He ended at 29-under 263 overall, six strokes behind the champion, Hideki Matsuyama of Japan. Im made just four bogeys at the tournament, and none after the third hole in the second round. But that was not enough against Matsuyama, who went 62-65

Jan. 6, 2025

Goalkeeper Song Bum-keun rejoins old K League club

Goalkeeper Song Bum-keun has rejoined his former K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after two years in Japan. Jeonbuk announced Tuesday Song, 27, has signed on as a free agent after spending the past two seasons with Shonan Bellmare in Japan's J1 League. Song first played for Jeonbuk from 2018 to 2022, helping them to four consecutive K League 1 titles from 2018 to 2021 and to the Korea Cup title in 2020. Song won the 2018 Asian Games gold medal for the under-23 national team, and has logged

Dec. 31, 2024

3 S. Korean players to open new PGA Tour season in exclusive-field event

Three South Korean players will begin their new PGA Tour season in a limited-field tournament in Hawaii this week. An Byeong-hun, Im Sung-jae and Kim Si-woo will be part of a 60-player field at The Sentry, which will tee off Thursday at The Plantation Course at Kapalua in Lahaina, Hawaii. Only the tour winners and the top-50 players in the FedEx Cup standings are eligible for The Sentry. This year's field will feature 31 tournament winners and 29 players who earned their way by finishing inside

Dec. 31, 2024

FC Seoul sign veteran natl. team defender Kim Jin-su

FC Seoul announced their signing of longtime national team defender Kim Jin-su on Monday. FC Seoul said they will look to the 32-year-old left fullback to push the club to the next level in 2025, after a successful 2024 campaign. In 2024, FC Seoul finished in fourth place with 58 points, their best showing since finishing third with 56 points in 2019. They scored 55 and conceded 42, and their +13 goal difference was the third-best mark in the K League 1. Kim spent most of the previous eight seas

Dec. 30, 2024

Wolves' Hwang scores, Spurs' Son misses penalty in Premier League showdown

Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers has scored in his second straight match, while Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur missed a penalty in their first South Korean derby of this Premier League season. Hwang scored the first goal of the match that ended in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, with both players getting the start -- Hwang as his team's striker and Son as left winger. This was Hwang's first Premier League start since Aug. 25. Hwang, who had scored his fi

Dec. 30, 2024

Sports ministry to request dismissal of badminton chief for 2nd time

The sports ministry announced Monday it will request the dismissal of the top badminton official for the second time, with the sport's national federation not having taken action despite the ministry's earlier demands. The ministry said in a statement that the Badminton Korea Association, led by Kim Taek-gyu, had carried out changes in 16 of the 25 areas as demanded by the ministry on Oct. 31. The BKA is still in the process of implementing changes in six areas, while its appeal for reconsiderat

Dec. 30, 2024

Korean Series champions Tigers sign ex-MLB slugger Patrick Wisdom

The 2024 South Korean baseball champions Kia Tigers finalized their signing of former major league slugger Patrick Wisdom on Thursday. The Tigers said Wisdom, a three-time 20-homer man for the Chicago Cubs, signed a one-year deal for $1 million, the maximum amount for all first-year foreign players in the Korea Baseball Organization. Wisdom will receive a guaranteed salary of $800,000 and a signing bonus of $200,000. The Tigers were first rumored to have signed the 33-year-old American player ab

Dec. 26, 2024

South Korea’s curling dream slides off course

South Korea’s curling stadium in Gyeonggi Province, hailed as the largest in Asia, has been ruled unfit to host the 2025 World Women’s Curling Championship due to a seating capacity. The World Curling Federation has determined that the facility in Uijeongbu does not meet the requirements to host the international sports event, as it offers only 120 spectator seats. While the stadium impresses with its technical features, it falls far short of the 900 seats required for a world cham

Dec. 18, 2024

Badminton champion's plea for overhaul of old system voted top S. Korean sports story of 2024

Moments after winning her first Olympic gold medal in Paris on Aug. 5, South Korean badminton star An Se-young was not in the mood for celebration. In her media availability following her women's singles title, An criticized the Badminton Korea Association and the national team staff for mismanaging her injury from the previous year and accused them of a series of old practices and customs that she deemed unfair to athletes. An even hinted she would no longer compete for the national team a

Dec. 18, 2024

Nearing age limit as IOC member, S. Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung not chosen for term extension

Nearing his age limit as a member of the International Olympic Committee, Lee Kee-heung, suspended head of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, will not have his term extended beyond next year. Following its Executive Board meeting, the IOC on Thursday decided to propose a four-year extension of the term for one member, Spyros Capralos of Greece, who, like Lee, was elected in 2019 and will reach the age limit of 70 in 2025. The decision will be reached during the 144th IOC Session in Greece

Dec. 5, 2024