Host South Korea will eye a record medal haul at the 2018 Winter Olympics, a senior sports official said Thursday.Lee Jae-kun, head of the National Training Center in Seoul, said South Korea's goal at the PyeongChang Winter Games is to grab at least eight gold medals to finish inside the top four in the medal race next February.At a press conference, Lee added the country will also chase four silver medals and eight bronze medals. Soohorang (R) and Bandabi, the official mascots of the 2018 Pyeon

North Korea has sent a document guaranteeing the safety of South Korean women football players who seek to visit Pyongyang next month for the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifying matches, Seoul's unification ministry said Thursday.Late Wednesday, South Korea's football governing body received the document in an email via the Asian Football Confederation as the Group B qualifying games will be held in North Korea from April 3-11, the ministry added.South Korean players will have a match with their No

The national football governing body will convene a meeting next week to discuss the status of the beleaguered men's coach, Uli Stielike, officials said Thursday.The Korea Football Association will hold a technical committee meeting sometime next week to break down what's been ailing the men's squad in the ongoing Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korea men's national football head coach Uli Stielike waits for the start of the World Cup qualifying match against Syria at S

The Koreas are set for a women's hockey showdown south of the border next week, a match taking place against the backdrop of increasing tension on the peninsula.Gangneung, Gangwon Province, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul, will host the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship Division II Group A starting Sunday. Gangneung Hockey Centre and Kwandong Hockey Centre will be the two venues during the April 2-8 tournament, which doubles as a test event for the 2018 PyeongChang

South Korean national U-20 football team defender Jeong Tae-wook will be out for six weeks due to a small fracture in his neck following a ferocious collision with a Zambian player, the Korea Football Association said Tuesday.Jeong fell to the ground unconscious during the match against Zambia in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, at a FIFA U-20 World Cup test event on Monday. In the 80th minute, he and Zambian midfielder Kenneth Kalunga collided in the air when vying for the ball. Jeong Tae-w

Bouncing back from two surgeries, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Ryu Hyun-jin has joined the starting rotation thanks to a solid preseason.Manager Dave Roberts told reporters in Glendale, Arizona, on Monday (local time) that Ryu will be one of five starters when the regular season opens April 3.In this Associated Press photo taken on March 11, 2017, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning of a spring training baseball game in Phoenix

As the Samsung Lions prepare to bid farewell to veteran slugger Lee Seung-yuop after the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization season, his teammates would like nothing more than to send him off in style.Team captain Kim Sang-su and third-year star Koo Ja-wook, in particular, are hoping Lee's last game will come in the postseason.Kim Sang-su of the Samsung Lions smiles after a two-run single against the LG Twins during their Korea Baseball Organization preseason game at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Dae

When the Korea Baseball Organization starts its 36th season with all 10 clubs in action Friday, one team will have the proverbial bull's-eye on its back as it chases its third straight championship.The Doosan Bears have won the past two KBO titles and will enter the 2017 season firmly entrenched as the favorite once again.Members of the Doosan Bears celebrate their preseason victory over the Samsung Lions in the KBO at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on March 24, 2017. (Yonhap)Only two other franchises

From hulking sluggers to former major league starters, the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization season will not be short on star power, even as its greatest home run hitter embarks on a farewell tour.Former KBO MVP Lee Dae-ho has rejoined his former club Lotte Giants after spending the previous five seasons in Japan and the United States. He signed a four-year deal worth 15 billion won ($13.5 million), the largest contract ever handed to a free agent in the league's 35-year history. The Giants, who

South Korea beat Zambia 4-1 to collect their second straight win at a FIFA U-20 World Cup test event here on Monday. FC Barcelona Juvenil A forward Lee Seung-woo grabbed a brace, while his club teammate Paik Seung-ho scored a goal and set up another at Cheonan Stadium in Cheonan, some 90 kilometers south of Seoul, for South Korea's impressive performance against Zambia. Gearing up for the U-20 World Cup as the host, South Korea invited Honduras, Zambia and Ecuador for the current tournament as a

Syria's national football team head coach Ayman Hakeem said Monday his team is tactically prepared against South Korea in the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier in Seoul. South Korea and Syria will go head-to-head at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Both teams are in Group A, along with Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar and China. "Everything has been going well since we arrived here," Hakeem said at a press conference in Seoul. "S

South Korea football coach Uli Stielike said Monday that the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Syria is a must-win match.South Korea, ranked 40th in the latest FIFA rankings, will face 95th-ranked Syria at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Tuesday in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. South Korean men's national football team head coach Uli Stielike (center) speaks during a press conference at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on March 27, 2

Former big league manager Trey Hillman, now at the helm of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club SK Wyverns, said Monday he will demand professionalism from his new team.Hillman, who signed with the Wyverns last October, attended his first KBO media day in Seoul. He's only the second foreign skipper in the KBO's 35-year history after fellow American Jerry Royster, who managed the Lotte Giants from 2008 to 2010. Hillman is also the first man to manage in Major League Baseball, Nippon Profess

The Doosan Bears, having captured the past two Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) titles, were the proverbial Public Enemy No. 1 in the annual preseason gathering of the league's managers on Monday.The KBO held the media day with the 10 managers and their captains on hand in Seoul. Asked about their goals for the 2017 season, which will get underway Friday, opposing managers said they want to keep the Bears from completing a three-peat. Kim Tae-hyung (center), manager of the Doosan Bears, is flan

Foreign pitchers filled the list of the Opening Day starters in the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization season announced Monday.The new season will begin Friday with all 10 clubs taking the field. And all 10 teams will have their foreign pitchers start their first games of the season, as announced by their managers during the annual KBO media day in Seoul. In this file photo taken on Oct. 29, 2016, Dustin Nippert of the Doosan Bears throws a pitch against the NC Dinos during the Korean Series at Ja