DAEGU -- A local appeals court on Friday upheld a suspended jail term on a former South Korean baseball pitcher convicted for a role in launching a gambling website.The Daegu District Court rejected an appeal by An Ji-man of his eight-month sentence, suspended for two years, handed down in February.An, a former pitcher for the Samsung Lions in the Korea Baseball Organization, was indicted in September last year over allegations he gave 165 million won ($147,000) to his friend in February 2016 to

South Korea's women's table tennis team has hired a former Chinese national team coach to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games, the sport's national governing body said Friday.The Korea Table Tennis Association said Zhong Jinyong will coach South Korean women players through the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. After the women's team struggled in recent international competitions including the Rio de Janeiro Olympics the KTTA said it was looking to hire a Chinese coach to raise the competitiveness o

South Korean football prospect Jang Gyeol-hee will make his professional debut with a Greek club in the upcoming season, officials here said Thursday.Jang signed a two-year contract with an option for an extra year with Asteras Tripoli FC in the top-flight Superleague Greece, a person working with Jang's camp said, adding that the 19-year-old will make his senior debut with the Greek club in the 2017-18 season.Jang joined the FC Barcelona youth team in 2011 along with South Korean compatriot Lee

Yesterday, Nexen Heroes’ rookie center fielder Lee Jeong-hoo was intentionally walked in the 7th inning. This walk was significant for two reasons -- it was the first of Lee’s career, and it came with two outs.In baseball, issuing an opposing batter an intentional walk is a strategy that involves taking a little risk to avoid possible greater danger. Typically intentional walks are issued toward the end of games to create force-out situations. For example, they are commonly used in close games t

After playing four seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball with the Orix Buffaloes and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, and one season in Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners, first baseman Lee Dae-ho signed a deal with the Lotte Giants to return to the Korean Baseball Organization for the 2017 season.For the Giants, the signing was a return of the prodigal son. Lee played his first 11 professional seasons, from 2001 to 2011, with the Giants, and is originally from the team’s Busan are

South Korean football club Jeju United said Thursday penalties on their players for on-field violence during a regional club tournament were reduced following the continental governing body's decision.The Asian Football Confederation had earlier handed down a six-month ban on Cho Yong-hyung, a three-month suspension on Baek Dong-gyu and a two-match ban for Kweon Han-jin for their role in a melee after an AFC Champions League match against Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan,

South Korean swimming star Park Tae-hwan will be chasing his first world title in six years in Hungary starting this weekend.The 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships began last week in Budapest with the diving and synchronized competitions, and the swimming portion will get underway Sunday. Park's first race, the 400m freestyle, will have heats Sunday morning, followed by the final later in the same day.Park, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in the 400m free, has also won two world titles in tha

South Korean first baseman Choi Ji-man has been designated for assignment by the New York Yankees, with a demotion to the minors or free agency now a possibility.The Yankees made the move Wednesday (local time) after acquiring three players in a trade with the Chicago White Sox in exchange for four players.One of the new faces is Todd Frazier, a veteran slugger who can play both third base and first base, where Choi has played six games this year. The Yankees have removed Choi from the 40-man ro

Despite their teams' underdog status at next year's Winter Games on home ice, coaches of the South Korean men's and women's squads on Wednesday seemed undaunted by the challenges ahead.Jim Paek, ex-National Hockey League rearguard now coaching the men's team here, and Sarah Murray, former standout in U.S. collegiate hockey leading the South Korean women's team, attended a press conference in Seoul, marking the 200-day countdown to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.Both teams will compete in t

South Korea will try to use next year's Winter Olympics at home as a launch pad for its men's and women's hockey programs, the head of the sport's national federation said Wednesday.In a media briefing at the National Training Center in Seoul, Chung Mong-won, president of the Korea Ice Hockey Association, said South Korea has already turned its eyes toward the future beyond the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.The men's team, coached by former National Hockey League defenseman Jim Paek, is ranke

South Korean football club Daegu FC said Wednesday they've signed Australian defender Ivan Franjic.The K League Classic club said they acquired Franjic from Australian A-League club Melbourne City FC. He will wear the No. 77 jersey.This photo provided by Daegu FC on July 19, 2017, shows Australian defender Ivan Franjic holding a Daegu FC scarf for a photo. (Yonhap)Franjic made his A-League debut with Brisbane Roar in 2009 and became one of the best full backs in the league. He won three champion

South Korea's top hockey official and the women's national team head coach on Wednesday tiptoed around the controversy surrounding a potential joint Korean team at next year's Winter Olympics.Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan last month suggested assembling a South-North joint women's squad for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games south of the border. Do's rationale was that the all-Korean team would help promote peace on the divided peninsula.The idea was quickly met with criticism, since a few of the

South Korea's Moon Jae-in administration will aim to improve the recreational sports environment in the country during its five-year term, so that more people can enjoy sports and activities, according to a state policy blueprint announced Wednesday.Under the plan revealed by the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, a policy advisory panel for the government, the Moon administration will first try to expand community sports clubs that will provide various programs with instructors. There a

The Korean Baseball Organization’s Nexen Heroes announced yesterday that they have agreed terms with former major league outfielder Michael Choice. Michael Choice in a game with the Texas Rangers in 2014. (AFP)By KBO rules, teams are allowed three foreign players, one of whom must be a position player. Choice will take the foreign position player spot vacated by first baseman Danny Dorn, who was recently put on waivers by Nexen. Last year Dorn hit .295 with 16 homers and 70 RBIs for Nexen, but s

Using a statistic called WAR, KIA’s Choi Hyung-woo and Nexen’s Lee Jeong-hoo currently stand as runaway front-runners in the 2017 KBO MVP and Rookie of the Year races, respectively.WAR, or wins above replacement, is a statistic that attempts to compute player value, allowing for players across positions and time periods to be compared. Roughly-speaking, the average WAR for a starting position player or pitcher is around 2.In addition to WAR, Choi is currently at or near the top of the KBO leader