The host country South Korea was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women's tournament at the table tennis world championships Thursday, following a crushing loss to world No. 1 China. Boasting the world's top three-ranked female players, China shut down South Korea 3-0 in the quarterfinals at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan. In the team tournament, each match is made up of up to five singles matches in a best-of-five

South Korea's soccer governing body said it was "overjoyed" over recent news that Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in of the national team have buried the hatchet after their highly-publicized quarrel during the Asian Cup 2023, seemingly putting an end to what the public and the local media dubbed "ping pong gate." "After hearing the news (of Son-Lee's reconciliation), I was as happy and excited as if (the team) won in a tournament. ... As for whether the two players

South Korea's national football federation will likely appoint a full-time head coach to fill the vacancy at the men's national team instead of a temporary one as rumored, a senior executive in charge of the process said Wednesday. Chung Hae-sung, named the new head of the National Teams Committee at the Korea Football Association (KFA) on Tuesday, met with new members of his committee Wednesday to discuss the hiring of the new men's national team bench boss. The KFA fired the pre

Men's national soccer team captain asks the public for Lee's forgiveness

The South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles will likely finalize their deal with free agent pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin by Wednesday and make him the highest-paid player in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), sources said Tuesday. The Eagles have reportedly offered Ryu a four-year deal worth 17 billion won (US$12.7 million), the largest deal ever in the KBO both by average annual value and total amount. The Eagles have taken necessary administrative steps to finalize their deal with the 36-year

Having earned their big prizes during the World Cup season, South Korean short trackers Park Ji-won and Kim Gil-li said Tuesday they will pursue more medals at the upcoming world championships. Park and Kim returned home from Poland on Tuesday, after being crowned the men's and women's overall champions for the 2023-2024 International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating season. They each received the Crystal Globe trophy for their effort. Park, 27, claimed his secon

South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min has been improving his personal best times in the 400-meter freestyle at an impressive rate. The 22-year-old isn't about to stop, not with the Olympics on the horizon. Kim arrived back home Monday evening from Qatar, where he won the men's 400-meter freestyle gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships with a personal-best time of 3:42.71. He also helped South Korea capture silver in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. In the 400m freestyle, Kim s

One by one, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has been crossing things off his to-do list. Next up for the freshly minted world champion in the men's 200-meter freestyle will be an Olympic medal -- or make that medals. Hwang returned home Monday after grabbing two medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar earlier this month. First, he won the 200m freestyle gold medal for his first world title and his third career medal from the competition. Then he capped it off by anchoring Sou

South Korea has finished the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Qatar with a record five medals, nearly matching the total it had won at all previous competitions combined. With three medals from swimming and two more from diving, South Korean athletes set themselves up nicely for the Paris Olympics this summer. Prior to the Feb. 2-19 competition in Doha, South Korea had won six medals at all previous world championships. In collecting a handful of medals in Qatar, South Korean athletes also m

South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun has captured her first career world championship medal with a silver in the women's 500 meters. Kim finished second in the 500m at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships in Calgary, Canada, on Friday (local time), with a time of 37.19 seconds. Femke Kok of the Netherlands won the gold medal at 36.83 seconds. Kimi Goetz of the United States took bronze in 37.21 seconds. In addition to reaching the world p

South Korean free agent infielder Choi Ji-man has found a new home with the New York Mets, his agency announced Saturday. G-Man Sports Management said Choi has signed a one-year split contract with the Mets worth up to US$3.5 million, including performance-based bonus, if Choi makes the Opening Day roster. He also had an invitation to spring training. Under a split contract, a player earns different amounts of money based on the time he spends in the majors and in the minors. If Choi makes the M

The host South Korea notched victories in its men's and women's opening matches at the world table tennis championships Friday. In the first Group 3 match on the men's side at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships, South Korea beat Poland 3-1. In the women's first Group 5 match, South Korea cruised past Italy 3-0. The southeastern port city of Busan will host the competition, which will wrap up Feb. 25. In even-numbered years,

South Korean men's national soccer team head coach Juergen Klinsmann was fired on Friday, following the team's disappointing semifinal exit at the Asian Cup 2023 in the previous week. Chung Mong-gyu, chief of the Korea Football Association, held a press conference at the KFA headquarters in Seoul to announce the German coach's sacking. "As the head of the organization operating the national team, I humbly accept the criticism toward the KFA and me. ... The KFA decided to replace the nationa

Soccer star faces wide criticism after scuffle with team captain Son Heung-min; Coach Klinsmann fired

National Team Committee of the Korea Football Association said Thursday that its members have agreed that Jurgen Klinsmann should be replaced as the men's national team head coach, following the team's disappointing performance at the Asian Cup 2023. The committee pointed out the coach's insufficient tactical preparation for South Korea's disappointing semifinals match against Jordan, his lack of commitment as the national team coach, and questioned his leadership over the recent quarrel among k