South Korean pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun left for the United States on Friday for his first spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals, determined to win a spot in the starting rotation as a major league rookie. Kim signed a two-year deal worth $8 million with the Cardinals in December. He'd spent the previous 12 seasons with the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, putting together an All-Star career that included a regular season MVP award as a 20-year-old in 2008. Last year, Kim wen

South Korea will grab nine gold medals to finish in the top 10 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a US sports data analysis firm has projected. The latest version of Virtual Medal Table by Gracenote, updated last Friday, also predicted South Korea will get 11 silver and six bronze medals. Those nine gold medals would put South Korea in 10th place for a fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the Summer Olympics, a run that started at Athens 2004. By sport, Gracenote said South Korea will win gold medals

INCHEON -- The South Korean men's Olympic football team made a triumphant return home from Thailand on Tuesday after capturing a spot in this year's Summer Games in Tokyo. Coached by Kim Hak-bum, South Korea won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship over Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Bangkok. The AFC event was also the Asian qualifying tournament for Tokyo 2020, and the top three countries earned their tickets to the Olympics. Both South Korea and Saudi Arabia had bagged theirs

South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in extra time to capture their first Asian men's football title in the under-23 age group on Sunday. Defender Jeong Tae-wook headed in the winner in the 113th minute in the final of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, breaking a deadlock after the two sides had fired blanks. This was the fourth edition of the biennial tournament, and the first title won by South Korea, who had one runner-up finish sandwich

When South Korea won the Asian Olympic women’s volleyball qualifying tournament earlier this month, some of its key players took the adage “taking one for the team” to a whole new level -- to the point where their injuries could have a negative effect on South Korea‘s medal hopes.Captain Kim Yeon-koung played the qualifying event in Thailand from Jan. 7-12 with torn abdominal muscle, which will sideline her for at least another month. Kim took painkillers before the final

 RANGSIT -- South Korea reached cloud nine on Wednesday, as they made it to their ninth consecutive Olympic men's football tournament.The young Taeguk Warriors shut down Australia 2-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship in Thailand. This AFC event doubles as the regional qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the top three teams from here will be competing in Japn this summer. With Wednesday's win, South Korea assured themselves a sp

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has ended his seven-match goalless drought, while scoring for the first time in 2020 in the process.Son headed in the 79th-minute winner in the Spurs' 2-1 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Tuesday (local time). It was Son's first score since the jaw-dropping wonder goal against Burnley in the Premier League on Dec. 7. He had gone scoreless in his past four Premier League matches, one UEFA Champions

South Korea's Park In-bee has lost the LPGA season opener in a three-way playoff, falling just shy of ending her two-year winless drought.The LPGA Hall of Famer was eliminated in the third playoff hole at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Sunday (local time), after pulling her tee shot into the water.Gaby Lopez of Mexico and Nasa Hataoka of Japan were still tied after five playoff holes, when play was suspended due to darkness.The two will be back at it

South Korea got past Jordan 2-1 on Sunday to move within one victory of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic men's football tournament.Midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong scored a gorgeous free kick to break a 1-1 tie in the dying seconds, giving South Korea a narrow win in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand. This AFC event is also the qualifying competition for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the top three nations here advanci

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Conor McGregor made a triumphant return to the UFC octagon on Saturday, pummelling Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone for a technical knockout victory in just 40 seconds.The mixed martial arts superstar from Ireland -- returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the first time since he was battered into submission by arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018 -- overpowered his American foe without ever being tested.After charging in with a left and missing, McGre

MIAMI (AFP) -- Olympic champion Park In-bee of South Korea fired a four-under-par 67 to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the season-opening LPGA Tournament of Champions.Park had a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-3 18th hole to grab a four-shot lead but rolled the ball four feet past the cup and missed her comeback putt for her first bogey of the week to finish on 13-under 200 after 54 holes at Four Seasons Orlando. That left the 31-year-old from Seoul only two ahead of fift

South Korea's largest training facility for amateur athletes officially opened for 2020 on Friday, with hundreds of athletes and officials attending a ceremony to mark the beginning of the Olympic year.The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee hosted the ceremony at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul, with 480 athletes and their coaches on hand."Now that we're all preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, I can see the passion and determination written all

From what was considered the toughest group in the Asian Olympic men's football qualifying tournament, South Korea emerged as the only undefeated nation.In fact, they were the only team to win all three group matches in the entire preliminary round of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship in Thailand.Now the real work begins, as South Korea are set to take on Jordan in their first knockout match of the tournament.The quarterfinals showdown will kick off at Thammasat Stadium in Rangs

South Korea stayed at No. 3 in the latest baseball's world rankings released Friday.The World Baseball Softball Confederation said South Korea will head into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as world No. 3 with 4,622 points, behind Japan (6,127) and the United States (4,676). Chinese Taipei is in fourth with 4,352 points.The WBSC rankings measure national team performance -- from under-12 to professional -- in WBSC-sanctioned international competitions over a four-year period.At the most recent WBSC tou

RANGSIT, Thailand -- South Korea defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 to take the top seed in their group at the Olympic men‘s football qualifying tournament on Wednesday.Forward Oh Se-hun celebrated his 21st birthday with a two-goal performance, helping South Korea to their third straight victory in Group C at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand.The AFC tournament doubles as the Asian qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the