Two international organizations for the Korean martial art of taekwondo should integrate in honor of their common root, the North Korean leader for one of the bodies said Tuesday.Ri Yong-son, head of the International Taekwondo Federation, is visiting South Korea for a series of ITF demonstration team's performances across the country. It performed during the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, last Saturday. Th

INCHEON -- South Korean hockey club Daemyung Killer Whalers won just seven games in regulation out of 48 in the 2016-2017 Asia League Ice Hockey season, finishing eighth among nine teams.But their new bench boss, former National Hockey League coach Kevin Constantine, couldn't care less about the number of wins. The 58-year-old American, the first man to bring NHL coaching experience to a South Korean team, is all about effort and passion."Ultimately, we get measured by the win-loss record, but I

MUJU -- South Korean Lee Dae-hoon captured gold at the ongoing taekwondo world championships at home on Tuesday.Lee easily defeated Huang Yu-Jen of Chinese Taipei 26-8 to claim the men's under-68kg title at the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships at Taekwondowon's T1 Arena in Muju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul.Lee now has three gold medals at the world championships. He previously won world titles in 2011 and 2013 in the under-63kg category. Lee Dae-hoon of South Korea

South Korean minor leaguer Hwang Jae-gyun said Tuesday he will opt out of his contract with the San Francisco Giants if he doesn't make the big league club by the weekend.Hwang said in an interview carried on a South Korean portal site that he'll exercise his contractual right to opt out of his deal if he isn't called up by the Giants by July 1. He will then become a free agent, in which case he can either try to land with another major league club or return to the Korea Baseball Organization, w

MUJU -- Two South Koreans secured at least bronze medals at the ongoing taekwondo world championships on Tuesday.An Sae-bom in the women's over-73kg and Jeong Yun-jo in the men's under-58kg each made it to the semifinals at the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships at Taekwondowon's T1 Arena in Muju, some 240 kilometers south of Seoul.Their semifinals and final, if they get there, will take place Wednesday. An Sae-bom of South Korea (left) lands a kick on Lorena Brandl of Germ

The sliding sports venue for next year's Winter Games in South Korea has been renamed to include the word "Olympic," the event's organizers said Tuesday.The organizing committee for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics said the Alpensia Sliding Centre in PyeongChang, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, will now be called the Olympic Sliding Centre. This undated file photo, provided by the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics organizing committee, shows the newly-named Olympic Sliding Centre in PyeongChang

South Korean sprinter Kim Kuk-young set the men's 100m national record with 10.07 seconds on Tuesday.Kim won the men's 100m final at the Korea Open International Athletics Competition in Jeongseon, some 210 kilometers east of Seoul, with the record-breaking time.Kim broke his own record twice in three days on the same track. On Sunday, Kim ran the 100m in the semifinals of a different competition in the then-record time of 10.13 seconds. Later in the final, Kim posted a wind-aided, unofficial ti

Japan-based South Korean golfer Lee Bo-mee was named an honorary ambassador for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Tuesday.In a ceremony held in Seoul, Lee joined a slew of other sporting stars as the latest goodwill spokesperson for South Korea's first Winter Games. South Korean golfer Lee Bo-mee poses with the mascots of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympics and PyeongChang Winter Games, Bandabi (left) and Soohorang, after being named an honorary ambassador for PyeongChang 2018 in Seoul on J

Suh Yun-bok, who won the 1947 Boston Marathon with a world record time, passed away on Tuesday. He was 94 years old.The Korea Association of Athletics Federations said Suh died of natural causes at around 4:40 a.m.former Boston Marathon champion Suh Yun-bok (Korean Sport & Olympic Committee)Suh became the first Asian champion of the Boston Marathon in 1947, setting the then-world record with 2:25.39. It was also the first world record set at the Boston Marathon, which began in 1897.Suh also part

Two-time world champion Lee Dae-hoon secured at least a bronze medal at the ongoing taekwondo world championships on Monday.Lee, competing in the men's under-68kg, was one of two South Koreans to reach the seminfinals at the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championships at Taekwondowon's T1 Arena in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul.Kim Jan-di also made the final four in the women's under-67kg.There is no bronze medal contest at these championships, where the two losers of the semif

The South Korean wushu governing body said Monday it has invited North Korean athletes to an upcoming youth competition south of the border.The Korea Wushu Association said it wants to host a North Korean team during the ninth Asian Junior Wushu Championships, set for Sept. 14 to 21 this year in Gumi, some 260 kilometers southeast of Seoul.Park Chang-bum (left), president of the KWA, poses with Yu Zaiqing, head of the International Wushu Federation (Yonhap-KWA)The KWA said its president, Park Ch

The South Korean professional fooball All-Star team for mid-season festivities in Vietnam was unveiled on Monday.The K League, operator of the national pro competitions, announced a team of 18 players. The K League All-Stars will face the Vietnamese national team at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on July 29. The kickoff is 10 p.m. Korean time.Yang Dong-hyeon of the Pohang Steelers (Yonhap)Pohang Steelers' Yang Dong-hyeon, currently tied for the lead in the top division K League Classic with 1

South Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon will skip next month's Wimbledon with an ankle injury, his agency announced Monday.IMG said a left ankle injury will keep world No. 54 out of the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, which will begin on July 3.South Korean tennis player Chung Hyeon (Yonhap-AP)Chung reached the third round of the French Open earlier this month, becoming only the second South Korean to go that deep into a major tournament.Chung injured his ankle while training for the Ric

The national football governing body named a new technical director Monday.The Korea Football Association said its Vice President Kim Ho-gon has been named the head of its technical committee.Kim, 66, replaces Lee Yong-soo, who stepped down June 15, the same day that the men's national team head coach Uli Stielike was sacked.(Yonhap)Kim's first job as the technical chief will be to name Stielike's successor, with South Korea clinging to the last automatic berth in the final Asian qualifying roun

Amid transfer rumors, FC Barcelona's South Korean prospect Lee Seung-woo said Monday he'll first talk to his current club before deciding on his future.The 19-year-old left home for Spain earlier in the day while rumors continue to swirl around his future destination.Lee made a debut with Barca's B team two seasons ago, but has mostly been playing with Juvenil A (under-19) team since then.Lee Seung-woo (Yonhap)Lee has a contract with the Catalan club until 2019 and reportedly has a buyout clause