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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 -
Ex-IOC member Ryu Seung-min to run for S. Korean Olympic chief
Ryu Seung-min, the 2004 Olympic table tennis champion and a former member of the International Olympic Committee, officially entered the race to become the next head of the national Olympic body Tuesday. Ryu, 42, formally tossed his name into the ring for the presidential election for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at a press conference in Seoul. The election is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025. Lee Kee-heung, the incumbent head of the KSOC, has yet to formally declare his intent to go for
Dec. 3, 2024 -
Suspended nat'l Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung noncommittal on 3rd term despite clearance
The national Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung said Wednesday he was not yet prepared to make a decision on whether to run for his third term at the helm of the top sports body, despite being given clearance to do so by his own organization this week. Lee, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), returned home from Switzerland, where he had attended the World Union of Olympic Cities Sport Summit earlier in the week. He decided to come home a day earlier than initially scheduled. D
Nov. 13, 2024 -
Court grants figure skater injunction to pause ban over sexual harassment charges
A Seoul court on Tuesday granted an injunction sought by figure skater Lee Hae-in to pause a three-year ban issued by the national skating federation over sexual harassment charges. The Seoul Eastern District Court sided with Lee, who is now eligible to compete. Lee, the 2023 world silver medalist, was suspended for three years by the Korea Skating Union (KSU) in June, with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) confirming it two months later, over an incident that took place during a n
Nov. 12, 2024 -
Incumbent S. Korean Olympic chief allowed to run for 3rd term despite suspension
The incumbent South Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung was granted an opportunity to run for a third term on Tuesday, despite the cloud of a recent government-issued suspension looming large over his head. The Commission for Fair Play in Sport at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) approved Lee's application to run for a third term as head of the KSOC on Jan. 14, 2025. Lee, 69, was first elected to the top KSOC post in September 2016 and won reelection in 2021. Per KSOC statutes
Nov. 12, 2024 -
Natl. Olympic chief faces uncertain future following suspension
Having been suspended by the sports ministry over alleged misconduct, the South Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung faces an uncertain future as he seeks a third term at the helm of the top national sports body. The sports ministry announced late Monday it had suspended Lee's duties as president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. This came a day after the ethics inspection team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination had said it would ask police to investigate Lee, amon
Nov. 12, 2024 -
Ministry suspends duties of sports body chief over alleged misconduct
The culture and sports ministry said Monday it has suspended the duties of Lee Kee-heung, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, over suspected misconduct. On Sunday, the ethics inspection team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced it asked the police to investigate Lee and other sports officials for alleged improper conduct, such as improper hiring practices and misuse of funds. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it requested a swift inves
Nov. 11, 2024 -
Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji announces break amid hate comments
South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji, who won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics, announced she will be taking a break from competitive shooting to focus on her family, a decision reportedly affected by a surge of criticisms online after achieving stardom following the Paris Games. Kim’s agency Plfil said Wednesday that Kim had terminated her contract early with her team, Imsil County Office, as there are no upcoming competitions for the remainder of the year. “I would like to br
Nov. 8, 2024