Yoon Suk-min, former MVP-winning pitcher in South Korean baseball, announced his retirement Friday at age 33.The Kia Tigers in the Korea Baseball Organization said Yoon has decided to call it a career, with his long rehab from a shoulder injury stalled."I've been trying to return to the mound, but I am in a situation where I can no longer pitch," Yoon said in a statement released by the Tigers. "Rather than taking up a spot on the team during my rehab, I wanted to give younger pla

Tottenham Hotspur's attacking ace Son Heung-min has topped the survey of South Korea's best athletes for the third straight year.Gallup Korea announced the findings of its annual survey on athletes Thursday. In a poll of 1,700 South Koreans over the age of 13 from Nov. 8 to 28, Son earned an overwhelming support of 82 percent. Respondents could select up to two athletes. It's the highest level of support since the poll began in 2007.Ryu Hyun-jin, a free agent pitcher who played for the Los Angel

MELBOURNE -- Two South Korean rookies earned a victory apiece on the opening day of the Presidents Cup golf competition here on Thursday, as the International Team jumped out to a surprising 4-1 lead over the heavily favored United States.Im Sung-jae teamed up with Adam Hadwin of Canada to defeat Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele 1-up in the second four-ball match of the day at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.Right behind them, An Byeong-hun and Adam Scott of Australia beat Tony Finau and Bryson D

BUSAN -- Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Hwang In-beom scored a free kick as South Korea squeezed past Hong Kong 2-0 to open an East Asian men's football tournament at home on Wednesday.FC Tokyo midfielder Na Sang-ho headed home an insurance goal in the second half, helping South Korea take their first match of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship at Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.South Korea, world No. 41, are trying to win their thir

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- Right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole has agreed to a record-setting nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees, US media reported Tuesday.Yahoo Sports, USA Today and MLB.com cited sources at the Major League Baseball owners' meetings in San Diego in reporting the deal, which was not immediately confirmed. Cole, 29, was widely considered the top free agent pitcher available this season after becoming a star with the Houston Astros.His reported deal comes just a da

South Korean free agent pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has been selected to the inaugural All-MLB Team.Major League Baseball announced its first-ever official star squad Tuesday (US Eastern Time) to recognize a season's worth of accomplishments, in line with other major professional sports leagues in North America.Ryu, who led all of baseball with a 2.32 ERA while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was one of five starting pitchers on the All-MLB Second Team. He was joined by Zack Greinke (Arizona Diam

South Korea played China to a scoreless draw to open an East Asian women's football tournament at home on Tuesday, unable to deliver a win in Englishman Colin Bell's coaching debut with the Taeguk Ladies.The two Asian sides had few serious chances to kick off with a win at the women's competition of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship at Busan Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.South Korea, world No. 20, now have four wins, six draws and 27 losses

Reigning South Korean professional football champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will face league winners from Japan and Australia at a continental club tournament next year.The draw for the 2020 Asian Football Confederation Champions League took place in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the 2019 K League 1 champions, were placed in Group H with Yokohama F. Marinos and Sydney FC. The one remaining spot in the group will be filled by a playoff winner.Yokohama won their fourth J1 L

MELBOURNE -- As a last-minute addition to the International Team at this week's Presidents Cup, South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun said Tuesday he is keen on capitalizing on his second chance.An was named as an injury replacement for Jason Day of Australia on Nov. 30, as International captain Ernie Els went with the South Korean just weeks after leaving him off the team.The Presidents Cup pits a team of a dozen non-European international players against the United States. This year's competition

LONDON (AFP) -- Jose Mourinho hailed Son Heung-min's wonder-strike in Tottenham's 5-0 thrashing of Burnley as the best goal he has seen since an equally stunning effort from Brazilian legend Ronaldo.On the day he was presented with the AFC Asian International Player of the Year award by compatriot Park Ji-sung, Son underlined his place among the game's elite with arguably the greatest goal of his glittering career.With Spurs already rampant after early goals from Harry Kane and Lucas Moura, Son

After slugging his way around South Korean baseball for years, MVP-winning outfielder Kim Jae-hwan now wants to see how he stacks up against big league pitching.The Korea Baseball Organization announced Thursday it has asked Major League Baseball to post Kim for its 30 teams, making the 31-year-old slugger available for any interested clubs.The move came hours after Kim's KBO club, the Doosan Bears, said they decided to post the 2018 league MVP. Kim becomes the second KBO player to be posted thi

PARIS (AFP) -- Lionel Messi won a record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to take the honours.Now aged 32, it is Messi's first Ballon d'Or since 2015 and his sixth overall as he moves one ahead of his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third in the voting.Messi, who attended the ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in the French capital with his wife and children, succeeds Luka Modric, the Real Madrid and Croatia midfie

South Korean football star Son Heung-min has become the top Asian finisher in voting for the prestigious Ballon d'Or Award.In a ceremony held in Paris on Monday (local time), Son, the South Korean men's national captain and attacking ace for Tottenham Hotspur, came in 22nd place among 30 nominees in balloting for the annual award recognizing the world's best football player. FC Barcelona icon Lionel Messi bagged his record sixth Ballon d'Or to break a tie with Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo. Pr

Heroes for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup runners-up, South Korea, were feted at the annual Asian football awards ceremony on Monday.Chung Jung-yong, former head coach of the U-20 national team, was named the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Coach of the Year at the AFC Awards in Hong Kong, for guiding the upstart South Korea to the final at the world's premier youth tournament in June. South Korea fell to Ukraine 3-1 in the final in Poland, but it was still the country's highest finish at a FIF

The reigning K League 1 MVP Kim Bo-kyung is entering an offseason of uncertainty, as his loan deal from Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol to Ulsan Hyundai FC expired with the season's conclusion last weekend.After accepting the trophy for the top individual award in South Korean pro football on Monday, Kim said nothing has been determined about his immediate future. "I know I've reached a point where I have to make a decision," the 30-year-old midfielder said. "As important as my own o