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

Three foreign coaches to head S. Korea's national curling team

A Canadian coach who guided the South Korean women's curling team to a silver medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics will return to the post to seek another medal at the upcoming Beijing Winter Games. The Korea Curling Federation said Saturday that three coaches will lead the country's national team for the 2021-2022 season. Peter Gallant from Canada was named the coach of the women's national curling team, better known by its nickname Team Kim, comprised of skip Kim Eun-jung, lead Kim Yeon

Aug. 28, 2021

Damwon Kia and T1 to clash for LCK Summer title

All eyes are on Damwon Kia and T1 as the two head to the 2021 League of Legends Champions Korea summer season finals on Aug. 28. At an online press conference for the LCK Summer Finals held on Tuesday afternoon, both coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun of Damwon Kia and Son “Stardust” Seok-hee of T1 were confident of winning the last match of the summer. “I certainly recognize T1 as a strong opponent, but because we are in the finals I will make my utmost effort to win

Aug. 24, 2021

S. Korean-born taekwondo coach for Thailand wants to improve sports diplomacy between two countries

For the past two decades, South Korean-born taekwondo coach Choi Young-seok has made efforts to help Thailand make its presence felt in the international sporting world and finally accomplished the goal at the Tokyo Olympics. His longtime student Panipak Wongpattanakit won the women's 49-kilogram title at the Summer Games that closed Aug. 8. It was the Southeast Asian country's first Olympic taekwondo gold medal and the only gold won in Tokyo. Thailand previously had two Olympic silvers and th

Aug. 20, 2021

LCK to hold summer playoffs in empty stadium

The 2021 League of Legends Champions Korea summer season finals will take place in an empty CJ ENM Studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 28, LCK said in a press release Wednesday. In compliance with the social distancing guidelines, all playoff games will be held without spectators. With one week remaining in the LCK summer season, all six of the teams that will advance to the playoffs starting Aug. 18 have yet to be determined. While Liiv Sandbox is currently in the No. 1 spot, the rank

Aug. 12, 2021

Teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo eyes Olympic medals in 2024

Having had his first taste of the Olympics at age 18, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo is turning his focus to the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. Hwang competed in two finals at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. He set an Asian record with 47.56 seconds in the semifinals of the 100-meter freestyle and finished in fifth place in the final. He became the first Asian swimmer in 65 years to even race in an Olympic final for the 100m freestyle. In the 200m freestyle earlier in Tokyo, Hwang set

Aug. 11, 2021

Inseparable friends in badminton happy to be reunited in quest for medal in Tokyo

They have been friends for 14 years and have won world junior titles together. And finally, South Korean badminton stars Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan will team up in the women's doubles at the Olympics this summer in Tokyo. Lee and Shin each competed at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics with different, older doubles partners. Lee and Chang Ye-na were knocked out of the quarterfinals, but Shin and Jung Kyung-eun grabbed bronze. Lee and Shin won the women's doubles titles at the world junior ch

July 7, 2021

S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo eliminated in 2nd round at Wimbledon

South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo has been knocked out in the second round of Wimbledon. Kwon, ranked 71st, lost a five-set, four-hour battle against Dominik Koepfer at the All England Club in London on Wednesday (local time). The 62nd-ranked German prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-3. Kwon earned his first career victory at Wimbledon on Tuesday with a four-set victory against Daniel Masur, also from Germany. Kwon walked away with 45 ranking points and should crack the top 70 after the c

July 1, 2021

S. Korea falls to Venezuela to open Olympic men's basketball qualifying event

South Korea is off to a losing start in its bid to qualify for the Olympic men's basketball tournament for the first time in a quarter century. South Korea fell to Venezuela 94-80 in its first game of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament at Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Wednesday (local time), as its spirited second-half comeback attempt fell short. Davidson forward Lee Hyun-jung led South Korea with a game-high 18 points on a 7-of-14 shooting, and naturalized starting center Ra Gu

July 1, 2021

S. Korean Kwon Soon-woo wins 1st round men's singles match at Wimbledon

It took him two days, but South Korea's Kwon Soon-woo finally has his first victory in the men's singles at Wimbledon. The 71st-ranked Kwon defeated Daniel Masur of Germany 3-1 (6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4) in the opening round match of the Grand Slam tournament in London on Tuesday (local time). Their match began Monday after more than three hours of rain delay and was suspended due to darkness after Masur took the first set in 51 minutes. When the match resumed the following day, Kwon quickly

June 30, 2021