S. Korea sets low medal target for Beijing 2022

South Korea's national Olympic body set a humble target for medals at the upcoming Beijing Winter Games on Thursday, with hopes of winning a gold medal or two for a top-15 finish. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) predicted South Korea will fall well short of its Winter Olympic-record total of 17 medals won at home during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. South Korea won five gold, eight silver and four bronze medals to finish seventh in the medal race then. This time around, t

Dec. 23, 2021

Volleyball news, good and bad, prominent in annual rankings of S. Korean sports stories

No South Korean sport went through the kind of roller-coaster ride that volleyball did in 2021. The sport's highest of highs and the lowest of lows dominated the news cycle and also the annual rankings of the top 10 sports stories released by Yonhap News Agency on Thursday. A series of off-court scandals in the sport ranked No. 1 in Yonhap's survey of 51 South Korean newspapers and broadcasters, with 315 points. A first-place vote was worth 10 points, with a second-place vote worth nine points

Dec. 23, 2021

Led by Olympic medalists, S. Korea earns 13 quotas in speed skating at Beijing 2022

South Korea has secured 13 quota places in speed skating for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, with a few medalists from the previous Winter Games in 2018 earning another shot at the podium. The International Skating Union (ISU) announced its allocation of quota places for speed skating on Thursday, based on results from four ISU World Cup competitions this season. On the women's side, South Korea won a spot in the 500m, two places in the 1,000m, and two more in the mass start. For men, South

Dec. 23, 2021

Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee banned for 2 months for off-ice trouble, Beijing status in limbo

Two-time Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee was slapped with a two-month ban for disparaging coaches and teammates Tuesday, a decision that, barring a successful appeal, will keep her out of the Beijing Winter Games in February. The Korea Skating Union held a disciplinary meeting Tuesday at its Seoul headquarters to hand down the punishment on Shim, who denigrated members of the South Korean team in expletive-laden text exchanges with a national team coach during the 2018 P

Dec. 21, 2021

[Herald Interview] B-girl Yell from ‘Street Woman Fighter’ looks to become world’s top breaker

With breakdancing taking the country by storm on the back of TV survival shows, fans were yet more excited by the news that four break dancers will represent South Korea in the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. Among them stands Kim Ye-ri, who has recently cemented her status as Korea’s top female breakdancer. Better known as B-girl Yell or dance crew YGX’s Ye-ri to cable TV dancing competition “Street Woman Fighter,” Kim got to where she is now thanks to a “spirit of d

Dec. 13, 2021

[Herald Interview] B-boy Leon to battle for world title at 2022 Asian Games

Breaking, a style of street dancing consisting of footwork, spinning and other acrobatic movements, has been officially approved as a new medal sport for the Asian Games and Olympics. B-boys and b-girls from around the globe will participate in the international sporting events starting next year, representing their countries. Kim Jong-ho, better known as B-boy Leon, has qualified as one of the four breakers who will represent South Korea in the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. Although Kim has alre

Dec. 6, 2021

Women’s volleyball drama leaves bitter taste

Drama at the Hwaseong IBK Altos of the Korean women’s volleyball V-League appears to be nearing an end, as the team confirmed Tuesday a plan to appoint a new head coach as soon as possible, which would end Kim Sa-ni’s brief but turbulent tenure as acting coach. It was unclear as of Wednesday whether this would mean Kim’s return to the previous post as assistant coach. A former star player of the Altos and member of coaching staff since May 2020, Kim has been at the center of

Nov. 30, 2021

Busan to host 2024 table tennis world championships

The southeastern metropolitan city of Busan will host the world table tennis championships in 2024 -- four years after losing the competition to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced Busan as the host of the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships during its annual general meeting in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday (local time). Houston is currently staging the world championships with individual events -- singles, doubles and mixed doubles. I

Nov. 25, 2021

Short trackers to take final shot at Olympic quotas amid off-ice woes, underperformance

South Korean short track speed skaters will compete in the last event with Olympic quota places at stake in the Netherlands this week, amid trouble off the ice and continued underperformance on it. The fourth and final International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup of the season will open in the Dutch city of Dordrecht on Thursday morning (local time), or Friday afternoon in Seoul. The first two days will feature qualifying races, while medals will be won over Saturday and Sunday. Based on their

Nov. 25, 2021

S. Korea fails to qualify for 2022 Olympic women's hockey tournament

South Korea will miss the women's hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics, four years after competing as a host as a historic unified team with North Korea. South Korea dropped all three games of the final qualifying tournament that wrapped up in Sweden on Sunday (local time). The latest blow came in the form of a 7-1 loss to Slovakia at Coop Norrbotten Arena in Lulea, northern Sweden. South Korea had earlier lost to France 4-0 and to Sweden 15-0. At No. 17, South Korea was the lowest-r

Nov. 15, 2021

Chungcheong gains momentum in bid to host 2027 WUG

Four local governments in the center of the country -- Daejeon, Sejong and the North and South Chungcheong provinces -- are gaining momentum in their bid to host the 2027 Summer Universiade, with universities vowing to provide support. On Friday, the local governments’ joint organization -- Chungcheong Megacity Bid Committee -- and the presidential association of national universities and public junior colleges discussed ways to cooperate in hopes to land the 2027 FISU World University G

Nov. 3, 2021

Woes continue for national short track team with top female skater injured

South Korea's national short track speed skating team has lost a top skater to injuries in the middle of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup season, adding to woes from a recent race-fixing scandal. Choi Min-jeong was hurt in separate collisions during the opening World Cup competition in Beijing on Saturday. She is expected to miss at least the next competition in Japan starting Thursday with knee and ankle injuries. In the women's 1,500m final, Kim Ji-yoo tried to cut inside Choi

Oct. 25, 2021

Korean American LPGA star driven to win in late father's hometown

As the 2021 LPGA season winds down, Korean American player Danielle Kang finds herself in one city where she wants to win a tournament more than anywhere else. Kang is one of 84 players set to compete at the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan, a coastal city 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, starting Thursday. The 72-hole event is the only LPGA tournament taking place in South Korea this season. Busan is also the hometown of Kang's late father. She was born in San Francisco but spent her early

Oct. 20, 2021

S. Koreans chasing 200th LPGA win on home soil this week

The next South Korean LPGA victory will be the 200th win by a player from this country. And the milestone title could very well come this week on a South Korean course. The BMW Ladies Championship will tee off Thursday at the LPGA International Busan in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It will be the only LPGA tournament to take place in South Korea this year, and also the lone Asian stop during what would normally have been the LPGA's annual swing through the continent. The tourname

Oct. 19, 2021

Olympic short track champion cut from nat'l team over controversial text messages

South Korean Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee has been dropped from the national team, the sport’s national federation said Monday, over controversial text messages suggesting a possible race fixing during the 2018 Winter Games on home ice. The Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Shim has been “separated from” the rest of the national team at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul, after the athletes, including Shim h

Oct. 11, 2021

Chungcheong picks up pace in bid to host 2027 World University Games

Korea’s four local governments in the central region -- Daejeon, Sejong, North and South Chungcheong provinces -- are picking up the pace in their bid to host the 2027 FISU World University Games. When the bid process was opened for the 2027 and 2029 University Games on Sept. 1, the local government’s joint organization named Chungcheong Megacity Bid Committee (CMBC) submitted a letter of intention to host the 2027 Games to the International University Sports Federation. The CMBC

Sept. 29, 2021

Kwon Soon-woo captures maiden ATP title, 1st S. Korean winner in 18 years

  Kwon Soon-woo claimed his maiden ATP Tour title at the Astana Open on Sunday, becoming the first South Korean champion on the world's top tennis circuit in more than 18 years. Kwon, world No. 82, defeated the 65th-ranked James Duckworth in straight sets, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 in Nur-Sultan. The last Korean to take an ATP title is the retired Lee Hyung-taik from January 2003. Kwon and Lee are now the only two South Koreans to win a regular ATP Tour event. "I am just really, really happy

Sept. 26, 2021

[Photo News] World surfing champions

Since its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, the popularity of surfing has been on the rise around the world. On Sept. 14, surfers competed at the finals of the Rip Curl World Surfing League, one of the world‘s largest surfing events. The championship was held at Trestles Beach in California, a top surf destination. Trestles Beach is well known for its dynamic waves and ideal wind conditions.  Gabriel Medina, a surfer who won the 2014 and 2018 championships, defeated Filipe Toledo, after

Sept. 22, 2021

S. Korean volleyball MVP under investigation for assault charges

The reigning South Korean men's volleyball MVP Jung Ji-seok is under police investigation for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, sources said Thursday. According to the sources, Jung, a star outside hitter for the Korean Air Jumbos in the V-League, was recently questioned by police on charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and installing a hidden camera in the home the two share. The sources said the girlfriend recently reported Jung's alleged assault to police. A woman who claimed to be

Sept. 2, 2021

Damwon defeats T1 to win LCK Summer

Defending champion Damwon Kia took home the LCK trophy, beating T1 3-1 in the finals on Saturday evening and winning prize money of 200 million won ($171,800). Although Damwon was the clear favorite leading up to the finals, strong performances from both teams in their quarterfinals raised expectations for a competitive match. Damwon clearly dominated the game, however. Despite T1’s comeback on the third game, Damwon took down the challenger in a convincing 3-1 victory. Damwon&rsqu

Aug. 30, 2021