Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min was named the top South Korean male player of 2017 by the national football governing body on Tuesday.Son earned the honor at the annual Korea Football Association Awards. This is Son’s third KFA Player of the Year accolade after 2013 and 2014. He is now tied with Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yueng for most top player awards.He scored 168 points in a vote by football reporters and the KFA coaches, edging out Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Lee Jae-sung, who

Former FC Barcelona prospect Lee Seung-woo's goal against Argentina at the FIFA U-20 World Cup was voted the best goal of the year by local fans, the national football governing body said Tuesday.The Korea Football Association announced the results of its year-end fan polls, and the 19-year-old forward's goal against Argentina earned 4,705 votes, or 23.7 percent of total votes, as the best goal by South Korean national footballers in 2017."I'm very happy to receive this best goal award," Lee sai

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that the government is conducting talks with Winter Olympic authorities for North Korea’s participation in the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games.“We are working with the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee for North Korea’s participation. They are both persistently recommending the North‘s participation, and believe that it is possible,” said Moon, during a meeting with sports news

INCHEON -- South Korean hockey-playing brothers Kim Ki-sung and Kim Sang-wook said Tuesday they left a recent international tournament in Moscow more confident athletes, despite getting defeated by the top dogs.The Kims and the rest of the men's national team returned home from the Channel One Cup in the Russian capital that they played last week. The 21st-ranked South Korea fell to No. 1 Canada 4-2, before losing to the fourth-ranked Finland 4-1 and then to No. 3 Sweden 5-1.This was South Korea

INCHEON -- A Canadian by birth but South Korean by passport now, hockey goalie Matt Dalton said he experienced "weird" feelings at a recent tournament in Moscow.South Korea faced Canada to open the Channel One Cup in the Russian capital last Wednesday. As is the custom in international hockey, anthems of both countries were played inside the VTB Ice Palace.And this was the first time Dalton, who acquired South Korean citizenship in 2016, heard "O Canada" as a member of the South Korean national

INCHEON -- South Korea might have lost all three games at a pre-Olympic men's hockey tournament last week, but head coach Jim Paek said Tuesday not all was lost for his charge.Paek and his charge returned home from Moscow, where they played and lost all three matches at the Channel One Cup. It was the final tournament for South Korea before the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which will be the country's first appearance at the quadrennial event.In Moscow, South Korea, world No. 21, didn't exac

South Korea will host a regional football tournament in 2019 that features both men's and women's national football teams, an official from the national football governing body said Tuesday. The East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship will be held in South Korea in 2019, the Korea Football Association said, following its rotational order of hosting the four-nation tournament. "On rotational basis in the order Japan, South Korea and China, we'll host the 2019 edition of the E-1 F

South Korean teenage baseball prospect Bae Ji-hwan is trying his best to shrug off a murky future after his US deal got wiped out over a rules violation.The 18-year-old shortstop out of Kyeongbuk High School in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, was the recipient of the 2017 Lee Young-min Batting Award at an annual amateur baseball ceremony Monday evening. The award, named after a former baseball great, is presented to the top-hitting high school player each year.In 27 games in 2017,

Reigning South Korean pro football league scoring champion Johnathan Aparecido da Silva is set to move to Chinese side Tianjin Teda, an official from his current club said Monday.A Suwon Samsung Bluewings official said that the K League Classic club are currently in transfer talks with Tianjin Teda for the Brazilian striker. "Tianjin made an 'irresistible offer,' which is tripling his salary, so we think it's inevitable for Johnathan to move to the Chinese club," the official said on the conditi

South Korean football club Ulsan Hyundai FC said Monday they've signed former Borussia Dortmund left back Park Joo-ho. The K League Classic club said they've agreed to terms with Park, although his transfer will be fully completed after the 30-year-old finishes a medical test.  "We've acquired the versatile player Park Joo-ho who had stints in Japan, Switzerland and Germany," Ulsan said. "He is a proven veteran who can play as left back and defensive midfielder."Ulsan, which finished fourth in t

With South Korea gearing up for its first Winter Olympic Games, the arrival of the Olympic flame topped the list of the country's most memorable sports news stories of 2017, as compiled by Yonhap News Agency on Monday.Joining the PyeongChang Winter Games' torch relay at the top was South Korea's qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.In a survey of 58 South Korean newspapers and broadcasters from Dec. 6 to 12, those two stories each earned 388 points to share first place. In this fi

South Korea dropped to Sweden 5-1 to close out a pre-Olympic men's hockey tournament in Moscow on Saturday.South Korea, ranked 21st in the world, lost all three games it played at the Channel One Cup at VTB Ice Palace in the Russian capital. World No. 3 Sweden gave South Korea all it could handle, scoring five unanswered goals after giving up the opening goal in the second period.Earlier in the week, South Korea lost to Canada 4-2 and Finland 4-1.Goalie Matt Dalton, with 106 saves in the first t

TOKYO -- Japan-born North Korean footballer Ri Yong-jik said Saturday he hopes to play in South Korea in the future.Ri, 26, played for North Korea at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship in Japan. North Korea finished last in the four-nation tournament with one draw and two losses. In this file photo taken on Dec. 9, 2017, North Korea national football team midfielder Ri Yong-jik (C) makes a header during a match against Japan at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Foo

South Korea men's football coach Shin Tae-yong said Saturday his team still needs to improve for the 2018 FIFA World Cup even after claiming a regional title in Tokyo.South Korea became the first men's team to successfully defend a title at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship, formerly known as the East Asian Cup, after beating Japan 4-1 on Saturday. South Korea men's football coach Shin Tae-yong (Yonhap)The latest result at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo helped South Korea

South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa is now officially set for her pursuit of a third straight Olympic gold in the women's 500 meters.The International Skating Union on Friday announced the list of all skaters qualified for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The event quota places were awarded based on results of the season's first four ISU World Cup Speed Skating races.The fourth World Cup race took place last weekend, and Lee ranked second overall behind Nao Kodaira of Japan after those f