Former rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae to wed in August

 Former rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae will tie the knot with a non-celebrity in August, her agency said Saturday.    Next Euphoria said the would-be bridegroom is nine years older than her and they will have a private wedding at an undisclosed place to be attended by only family members and friends.    Son was one of the country's most visible athletes during her career. She took fifth place at the 2012 London Olympics and ranked fourth in the individual all-around a

May 28, 2022

S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo eliminated in 1st round of French Open

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo has failed to get past the opening round of the French Open, a year after advancing to the third round of the season's second Grand Slam tournament. World No. 7 Andrey Rublev defeated the 71st-ranked South Korean in four sets, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round of the French Open at Roland-Garros in Paris on Tuesday (local time). At last year's French Open, Kwon had reached the third round, the deepest he had ever gone at one of the four major

May 25, 2022

Ascendant high jumper, swimmer among athletes forced to put Asiad dreams on hold

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok is enjoying the best stretch of his career. He captured his first world indoor title in March by clearing 2.34 meters. Woo also rose to the top of the 2022 outdoor season rankings by jumping 2.32 meters at a South Korean event last Wednesday. These performances came on the heels of Woo's fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. It was the highest placement by a South Korean track and field athlete at any Olympics. Woo appeared to be peaking j

May 9, 2022

S. Korean player Lee Hyun-jung declares for NBA draft

South Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung declared for the rookie draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Wednesday, saying he is "excited" about the opportunity to pursue his dream of competing in the top league. Lee, a junior wing for Davidson College Wildcats, made the announcement on his Instagram page. He will try to become only the second South Korean to play in the NBA, after the former Portland Trail Blazers center Ha Seung-jin. "After putting some serious

April 27, 2022

Choi Min-jeong captures overall crown at short track worlds

For the first time in four years, Choi Min-jeong is the overall champion at the short track worlds. Choi scored 107 ranking points to hold off Kim Boutin of Canada at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal on Sunday (local time). On the final day, Choi won the women's 1,000m title after a late charge past Boutin. She also crossed the line first in the 3,000m Superfinal, which was only open to the top eight skaters in the point standings. B

April 11, 2022

S. Korea takes silver behind Switzerland at women's curling worlds

South Korea has claimed the silver medal at the women's curling world championships, falling to Switzerland in a hard-fought final but still posting the country's best-ever finish at the annual competition. Led by skip Kim Eun-jung, South Korea lost to Switzerland 7-6 in the gold medal game at the World Women's Curling Championship in Prince George, Canada, on Sunday (local time). Switzerland scored three points in the second end, and South Korea never led. This was South Korea's first appearanc

March 28, 2022

S. Korean men disappoint at figure skating worlds

South Korean Lee Si-hyeong finished well out of contention at the figure skating world championships in France, while his countryman Cha Jun-hwan withdrew because of problems with his boots. Lee finished 18th in the men's singles competition at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, on Saturday (local time). He earned 138.71 points in Saturday's free skate, after scoring 85.34 points in the short program from Thursday. Cha, who had been i

March 27, 2022

Cha Jun-hwan well out of contention at figure skating worlds after subpar short program

Cha Jun-hwan's dreams of winning his first world championships medal went up in smoke on his first day of competition in France. The South Korean found himself well out of contention in 17th place after earning only 82.43 points in a mistake-filled short program at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, on Thursday (local time). The 20-year-old fell more than 17 points shy of his personal best set at the Beijing Winter Olympics in Februar

March 25, 2022

Figure skater pulls out of worlds due to COVID-19

South Korean figure skater Kim Ye-lim has withdrawn from the upcoming world championships after testing positive for COVID-19, the sport's national federation said Friday. An official with the Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Kim received a positive result from her polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test Thursday night and will not be able to skate at the world championships opening next Wednesday in Montpellier, France. Kim will have to isolate at home for seven days. The KSU official added that Lee

March 18, 2022

Sports ministers seek to bar Russians, Belarusians from international sports events

The sports ministers of 26 countries, including South Korea and the United States, agreed to ban athletes from Russia and Belarus from international sports games to be held in their countries as part of sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, officials said Friday. The ministers reached the agreement during a videoconference hosted by British Sports and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries at midnight to discuss joint responses to Russia's aggression, officials of the culture and sports ministry

March 4, 2022

COVID-19 causing disruptions across sports leagues

A surge in coronavirus cases has been wreaking havoc on playing schedules in South Korean professional sports this month, an eerie deja vu to previous springs when seasons were postponed or even canceled outright at the onset of the pandemic. The top two divisions in pro football just had their first weekend of the season, and it's the volleyball and basketball leagues, with their seasons in full swing for months, that have been hit the hardest. The Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO), which run

Feb. 22, 2022

NBA in sight, Lee Hyun-jung may be a new breed of athlete in Korea

In 2014, The Korea Herald asked, “Will Korea ever have ‘Linsanity’?” in an article highlighting the inherent limitations of Korea‘s student athlete system, which enforces all sport and no study. Eight years later, Lee Hyung-jung of NCAA’s Davidson College may have given us the answer. Lee is one of the key contributors to the Davidson Wildcats‘ conference-leading 21-4 record and, equally importantly, is among a new breed of Korean athletes who meet both

Feb. 16, 2022

Denied Olympic chance, short tracker cries foul over lack of transparency

A South Korean short track speed skater left off the team for the Beijing Winter Olympics due to an injury is accusing the sport's national federation of lacking transparency in its selection process. In an email statement sent to Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, Kim Ji-yoo said she was "upset" that she was "robbed of my ticket to the Beijing Olympics." "It's something precious and dear to my heart, because I earned it with so much hard work," Kim said. However, whe

Jan. 23, 2022

Beijing-bound figure skater Kim Ye-lim wins bronze in final event before Olympics

South Korean Olympic figure skater Kim Ye-lim set a new personal best en route to winning the bronze medal in her final competition before Beijing 2022. Kim scored 209.91 total points at the International Skating Union Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, on Saturday (local time), finishing in third place behind Mai Mihara of Japan (218.03 points) and fellow South Korean Lee Hae-in (213.52 points). Kim's previous career best had been 202.76 points set at the 2020 Fo

Jan. 23, 2022

New LPGA season opens this week with S. Koreans looking for bounceback

The 2022 LPGA Tour season will tee off this week in the Sunshine State, with South Korean players looking to bounce back from a relatively down year in 2021. The winners-only Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions will open the new season Thursday at the par-72 Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando. Tour winners from the past two seasons will make up the exclusive 29-player field, and they will be joined by 50 celebrities and former professional athletes. Four South Korean players

Jan. 19, 2022

Short tracker Shim Suk-hee to miss Beijing 2022 after losing injunction bid against ban

South Korean short track speed skater Shim Suk-hee has lost her injunction bid against an Olympic ban, legal sources said Tuesday, as her attempt to regain eligibility for Beijing 2022 crashed and burned. The sources said the Seoul Eastern District Court rejected Shim's application for an injunction to lift a two-month ban by the Korea Skating Union (KSU) issued in December. Shim was suspended for making disparaging comments on her teammates and coaches in a text exchange with a coach during t

Jan. 18, 2022

LPGA star Kim Sei-young to pace herself in pursuit of No. 1 ranking in 2022

Kim Sei-young had collected at least one LPGA victory in every season since bursting on to the scene in 2015, but that streak came to an end in 2021. Looking back on last season, Kim said Thursday she might have overexerted herself in the early months, and she had hit a wall before she could get anything going. Still hoping to reach the top of the rankings, the world No. 5 said she will try to pace herself better in 2022. "I had a tough year last year," Kim told reporters after a co

Jan. 13, 2022

Attorney for banned short tracker Shim Suk-hee cries foul over 'double punishment'

Two-time Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee launched her last-minute legal battle against a recent two-month ban on Wednesday, trying to salvage a chance to compete at next month's Beijing Winter Games. It was last Thursday that Shim filed for a court injunction against the penalty handed down by the Korea Skating Union (KSU) in December, ruling her out of the Feb. 4-20 Winter Olympics. The Seoul Eastern District Court held a hearing on Wednesday and is expected to make its

Jan. 12, 2022

Alpine snowboarder Lee Sang-ho maintains World Cup lead despite missing podium

South Korean Olympic snowboard medal hopeful Lee Sang-ho continues to lead the World Cup standings for the season, despite missing the podium for only the second time in his latest competition in Austria. Lee finished fifth in the men's parallel slalom race in the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard World Cup in Bad Gastein, Austria, on Tuesday (local time). In his five previous World Cup races, Lee had collected one gold, one silver and one bronze in the parallel giant slalom, and one

Jan. 12, 2022

Lone teenager at nat'l football camp inspired by Son Heung-min

At the tender of 19, Gwangju FC midfielder Eom Ji-sung earned his first callup to the men's senior national football team for January's training camp in Turkey. The talented teenager stands out for his skills and maturity, but on the other hand, he is no different than most South Korean football players his age in one aspect. Eom is a great admirer of Son Heung-min, the longtime South Korean captain and Tottenham Hotspur star. "He has been my role model, and he is the one player that I'd

Jan. 11, 2022