DWG reigns atop LCK after defeating Gen.G

Damwon Gaming continues the team’s undefeated second round win streak in the League of Legends Champions Korea, defeating Gen.G in the opening match of the week Thursday to sit at first in the standings. Damwon Gaming, which recently placed second in global power rankings by ESPN after Invictus Gaming of China triumphed over Gen.G 2-1, finally beat them for the first time this year after losing both games in the spring and losing the first round of the summer. With a 12-2 record and an o

Aug. 7, 2020

First-ever gaming audition program features new talent, legendary mentors

The first-ever gaming audition program in South Korea, “LoL the Next,” aired the first of seven episodes Sunday, introducing new talent to fans. This is the first program in the country that auditions nonprofessional League of Legends players. Sunday’s episode featured 40 contestants, who included trainees of LCK teams and former pro Hojin of the ROX Tigers. T1 Burdol, the current No. 1 in the Korean solo queue, was also shown. The contenders, all aged 16-29, are expected to

Aug. 2, 2020

First round recap for LCK as World Championship remains uncertain with ongoing pandemic

League of Legends Champions Korea has crossed the halfway point of the summer season, finishing the initial round-robin pairings and starting the first week of the second round last week. For the 10 teams in the LCK, the ultimate goal of the summer season is to emerge from the playoffs and qualify for the World Championships. However, how the World Championships will play out remains to be seen as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause disruptions. With the second biggest tournament in LoL,

July 20, 2020

First foreign head coach of LCK continues his magic

Jakob Mebdi, the first non-Korean head coach in the League of Legends Champions Korea, is proving that importing foreign talent can work in the Korean esports scene game after game. Mebdi is also known by his game name “YamatoCannon,” which he started using as a League of Legends esports player.  When Sandbox Gaming announced the hiring of Mebdi as head coach before the summer season, many were surprised at the organization’s bold decision. Although some game indust

July 13, 2020

S. Korea to host pre-qualifying event for 2022 Olympic women's hockey

South Korea will host a pre-qualification round for the 2022 Winter Olympic women's hockey tournament, the sport's national governing body announced Wednesday. The Korea Ice Hockey Association (KIHA) said the second pre-qualifying round will run from Feb. 11 to 14 in 2021 in Gangneung, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul. Gangneung hosted all men's and women's hockey games during the 2018 Winter Olympics. The second pre-qualifying round will feature three groups of four teams. South Korea will

June 24, 2020

LCK Summer Split kicks off with a pentakill

League of Legends Champions Korea’s 2020 summer season kicked off Wednesday, to the joy of many fans watching from home. Although the seats were empty in the LoL Park Arena in Jongno, Seoul, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, thousands of fans watched the opening games online. Although they felt bad about having no audience, players expressed joy at being able to play at the LoL Park Arena again after COVID-19 forced them to play in team facilities for the second half of the spring seas

June 20, 2020

Postponed int'l Olympic meeting in Seoul rescheduled for Oct. 2021

A meeting of national Olympic organizations set to take place in Seoul this year has been rescheduled for October 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) jointly announced on Tuesday that the 2020 ANOC General Assembly, originally scheduled to be held Nov. 25-26 this year in Seoul, will instead take place from Oct. 26-27 next year at COEX Convention Center in the South Korean capital. The t

June 16, 2020

LoL Champions Korea to kick off summer season

The 2020 League of Legends Champions Korea Summer season will start Wednesday with its opening match. 　 CGV, South Korea’s largest multiplex chain, will screen the competition on 22 screens across the country at its ScreenX theaters. ScreenX theaters have multiple screens, allowing the main screen to show the match while side screens show game data and analysis. Fans watching at CGV will get vouchers that can be used to purchase in-game items such as emotes and character skins. “

June 16, 2020

Volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung sacrificing money for 'last remaining dream' at Olympics

South Korean volleyball great Kim Yeon-koung has won a slew of individual trophies and team championships, and made more money than she can spend. There's just one thing that's missing from her sparkling resume: an Olympic medal. And the 32-year-old outside hitter decided that returning to the South Korean V-League, after 11 years away, would be an important part of the preparation for next year's Tokyo Olympics -- so much so that she was willing to take a major pay cut just to have a chance t

June 10, 2020

Table tennis worlds in S. Korea postponed again due to coronavirus

The world's top table tennis tournament set to take place in South Korea this year has been postponed to early next year due to lingering concerns over the novel coronavirus. The organizing committee for the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan said Friday that following a request from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), it will look for new dates for the competition, which was scheduled to run from Sept. 27-Oct. 4. It was originally set for March 22-29 in the southeas

June 5, 2020

Volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung mulling return to S. Korean league: source

South Korean volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung is considering a return to the domestic league, a source close to the player said Tuesday, amid uncertainty in international markets caused by the new coronavirus pandemic. The source confirmed an earlier television news report that Kim has left open the possibility of reuniting with the Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders in South Korea's V-League. She made her professional debut with the team in 2005. Kim, 32, became a free agent after her two-year deal wi

June 2, 2020

Chinese team wins LoL Mid-Season Cup, Korean teams left idly watching

A Chinese team became the inaugural champion of the League of Legends Mid-Season Cup on Sunday, defeating several Korean teams. The cup features the top four teams from the Korean and Chinese leagues in the popular multiplayer online battle game, based on their spring competitions. Only one of the three League of Legends Champions of Korea (LCK) teams in the tournament, Gen.G Esports, was able to qualify for the semifinals, while three teams of China’s LoL Pro League -- JD Gaming, Top

June 1, 2020

S. Korean volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung leaves Turkish club

South Korean volleyball superstar Kim Yeon-koung has left her Turkish club after two seasons, with her second tour of duty in China potentially up next. The Turkish team Eczacibasi VitrA announced on its website on Friday that Kim and the club have "parted ways by mutual agreement." Kim, who captained Eczacibasi during the 2019-2020 season, helped the team to two Turkish Super Cup titles, a silver and a bronze medal at the past two FIVB Club World Championships. Kim signed with Ecz

May 22, 2020

Int'l Olympic meeting in Seoul postponed due to coronavirus pandemic

A meeting of national Olympic organizations set to take place in Seoul this fall has been postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) jointly announced on Tuesday that the 2020 ANOC General Assembly, scheduled to be held Nov. 25-26 this year in Seoul, will instead take place in 2021. "ANOC and KSOC mutually agreed that given the current global pandemic and wide-spread res

May 19, 2020

Olympic athletes' return to training center postponed indefinitely by surge in coronavirus cases

The scheduled return of South Korean Olympic athletes to the national training center has been postponed indefinitely in light of a recent spike in new coronavirus cases. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee said Thursday that the first batch of athletes and coaches who had been set to report back to the Jincheon National Training Center next week will have to wait. They had cleared out of the training center in March, after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed by one year due to the cor

May 14, 2020

Olympic judo silver medalist Wang Ki-chun banned for life over sexual assault allegations

The 2008 Olympic judo silver medalist Wang Ki-chun has been banned for life over sexual assault allegations. The Korea Judo Association (KJA) reached the decision unanimously following its disciplinary committee meeting in Seoul on Tuesday. Wang was arrested on May 2 on charges of sexually assaulting a minor. The KJA said, while Wang's allegations haven't been confirmed, the 31-year-old is found to have engaged in inappropriate relations with a minor and greatly damaged the integrity and soci

May 12, 2020

Olympic athletes' return to training center delayed by surge in coronavirus cases

The scheduled return of South Korean Olympic athletes to the national training center has been pushed back by a week in light of a recent spike in new coronavirus cases. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said Monday that the first batch of athletes and coaches who had been set to reenter the Jincheon National Training Center this week will do so next week. They had cleared out of the training center in March, after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics got postponed by one year due to the cor

May 11, 2020

S. Korean athletes to be tested for coronavirus before returning to training center

South Korean Olympic athletes set to resume training next month will be tested for the coronavirus before their return to the national facilities, officials said Monday. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said the first batch of athletes and coaches to reenter the Jincheon National Training Center next month will undergo COVID-19 tests from May 11-13 at four designated hospitals. Those hospitals are located in Seoul and near Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of the capital. Athletes

April 27, 2020

Son of legend wins 1st MVP award in men's basketball

Heo Hoon, the second son of the South Korean hoops legend Hur Jae, was named the most valuable player (MVP) in the men's pro basketball league Monday. The third-year guard for the KT Sonicboom in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) earned his first regular season MVP honor, collecting 63 out of 111 votes from the media. DB Promy center Kim Jong-kyu had 47 votes. Heo, the first overall pick at the 2017 draft, led the KBL with 7.2 assists per game, and ranked second among South Korean-born playe

April 20, 2020

Short track worlds in Seoul canceled due to coronavirus

The world championships in short track speed skating, scheduled to take place in Seoul this year, have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The International Skating Union (ISU) announced the decision in a statement following an online ISU Council meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday (local time). The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships were to take place March 13-15 in the South Korean capital, but on Feb. 26, the event was postponed indefinitely. Then on March 2

April 17, 2020