Ulsan Hyundai FC's first-year head coach Hong Myung-bo isn't yet 100 percent satisfied, not even after his K League 1 club won their third straight match of the 2021 season in convincing fashion. Ulsan beat Incheon United 3-1 Tuesday night at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul. They're the only team this season to win three straight matches out of the gate, with Suwon Samsung Bluewings having a chance to join them later Wednesday. Ulsan have scored nine go

Baseball fans shouldn't put too much stock into spring training results, good or bad. That's often the case in a normal year. And in this pandemic-hit 2021 season -- games going fewer than nine innings and starting pitchers getting pulled in the first inning, only to come back out for the second inning -- that's even more so. But sometimes, numbers are bad enough, even factoring in sample size, that they leave fans concerned about their favorite players heading into the regular season. South

South Koreans’ love of golf has led to a flourishing culture of indoor golf, played on driving ranges that have been graphically or photographically simulated on screens. Now a gaming company has introduced an artificial intelligence-based service so that golfers can work on their skills at home. On Feb. 25 Kakao Games, the gaming unit of the country’s leading messenger app operator, launched a golf training app that allows newbie golfers to practice and correct their swings in

Even if he ends up acquiring Chinese nationality in hopes of competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, South Korean-born short track speed skater Lim Hyo-jun is unlikely to accomplish that goal because of international rules. Lim, the 2018 Olympic champion in the men's 1,500 meters, announced Saturday he was undergoing a special naturalization process to acquire a Chinese passport. He had been going through a protracted legal battle over sexual harassment charges and decided he wouldn't be able

League of Legends as an esport is slowly but surely gaining popularity among various demographics, judging by the demographics of LoL Champions Korea fans. As one of the most popular esports leagues, the LCK is seen by fans around the world, with over half the viewers watching from abroad. According to the game’s maker Riot Games, the average number of viewers for the 2020 LCK summer season was around 166,000, which was up 74 percent from a year prior. The Korea Creative Content Agency

In a bid to end a long K League 1 title drought, Ulsan Hyundai FC aren't messing around. Ulsan won their second straight match out of the gate in the 2021 season Saturday, when they beat Gwangju FC 1-0 behind rookie Kim Min-jun's first career goal in his first-ever start. With former South Korean national team boss Hong Myung-bo in charge, Ulsan have won their first two matches by a combined 6-0. Ulsan finished runners-up to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in each of the past two seasons. No K League

Spring training hitting slump hasn't kept Kim Ha-seong from making an impact on defense for the San Diego Padres. The new South Korean infielder combined for two inning-ending double plays in the Padres' 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals at Peoria Stadium in Peoria, Arizona, on Sunday (local time). Kim got the start at shortstop, with Jake Cronenworth getting the nod at second base. With the bases loaded in the third inning, Cronenworth fielded a grounder by Adalberto Mondesi and threw to Ki

The Texas Rangers' new South Korean pitcher Yang Hyeon-jong allowed a home run in his spring training debut, a shaky start to his pursuit of a major league job by the end of this month. Yang served up a solo home run and a single in one inning of relief work against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona, on Sunday (local time). Yang was the last of five Texas pitchers to take the mound in the abbreviated, eight-inning game and was the only one to give up a long ball.

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean star Son Heung-min has put his name in Premier League record books. Son assisted on Harry Kane's goal in the 76th minute of a 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday (local time). The duo have now combined for 14 goals in the 2020-2021 campaign, the most by any pair of teammates in a single season in league history. Son and Kane had been tied with Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton for Blackburn Rovers from the 1994-1995 seas

Lim Hyo-jun, who won South Korea's first gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in short track speed skating, has applied for Chinese citizenship, a source close to the athlete said Saturday. According to the source, the scandal-ridden skater, facing sexual harassment charges, is going through a special naturalization process after receiving an offer from the Chinese Skating Association. "He'll skate for China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics," the source said, adding that Lim fel

A new team has landed in South Korean baseball. The SK Wyverns are no more in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), as the team's new corporate owner, Shinsegae Group's E-Mart, announced Friday they will now be called the SSG Landers. SSG comes from Shinsegae's online mall, SSG.com. The nickname Landers was inspired in part by Incheon International Airport, the country's main gateway located in the club's west coast home city of Incheon, and the fact that travelers "land" there to a

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is being asked to rule on an ethics complaint filed against the International Olympic Committee by a human-rights group representing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is being asked to rule on an ethics complaint filed against the International Olympic Committee by a human-rights group representing Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China. Ban is the chairman of the IOC's ethics commission. The Wor

The South Korean baseball league has greenlighted the entry of the retail giant Shinsegae Group following its purchase of the SK Wyverns. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday its board of governors, made up of club owners, unanimously approved Shinsegae's membership. Shinsegae's E-Mart recently took over the Wyverns from SK Telecom for 135.2 billion won ($119.7 million). And in a rare development, the group will pay an entry fee of 6 billion won. This is only the second time

SEOGWIPO -- Even before managing his first regular season game, SK Wyverns' new skipper Kim Won-hyong has already gone through a dizzying roller-coaster ride. For one, his team will no longer be called the SK Wyverns after this week. Shinsegae Group's E-Mart purchased the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club from SK Telecom, and the new name is expected to be unveiled Friday. The abrupt decision by SK Telecom to sell off the team, which Kim learned through media, represented a low point. A h

South Korea and Japan are having discussions on holding a men's football friendly match in Japan later this month, an official here said Wednesday. The official with the Korea Football Association confirmed an earlier media report that the Japan Football Association has proposed a friendly match during the next FIFA international match window of March 22-30, despite obvious hurdles presented by the coronavirus pandemic.  Any football match between these two bitter rivals is a must-see