South Korea's under-20 national football team head coach Shin Tae-yong said Tuesday he believes that Argentine football legend Diego Maradona provided "positive energy" to his team ahead of the group draw for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Shin joined Maradona and Argentine football star Pablo Aimar to play a special 5-on-5 mini football match at Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, to promote the U-20 World Cup. South Korea is the host of the U-20 World Cup that will

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Tuesday received an honorary doctorate from South Korea's only national sports university.Korea National Sport University conferred the doctoral degree in physical education on Bach in a ceremony at its Seoul campus, recognizing the German's role in the development of sports and his contribution to global peace through the Olympic Games. IOC President Thomas Bach (Yonhap)Bach, 63, has been leading the Olympic body since 2013.Bach, a fencin

South Korea's football governing body said Tuesday it has officially asked the Asian Football Confederation and its Chinese counterpart to prepare safety measures for Korean players and fans in the upcoming World Cup qualifying match in China. The Korea Football Association said the AFC and the Chinese Football Association will be asked to provide protections for Korean players and fans in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier slated for March 23 in Changsha, China.The match between South Korea and

Host South Korea has avoided powerhouses in the group stage for this year's FIFA U-20 World Cup.FIFA on Tuesday unveiled its four "pots" for the quadrennial event set to open on May 20 in South Korea, with six host cities staging matches for 24 nations.Countries in the same pot will not be drawn into the same group. The 24 countries will be paired into six groups, and the top two teams from each, plus the four best third-place nations, will reach the knockout stage.As the host, South Korea has b

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona showed off his skills and entertained delighted South Korean fans in a special football match here Tuesday.Maradona landed in South Korea on Monday with fellow Argentine football star Pablo Aimar to attend the drawing ceremony for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The U-20 World Cup, featuring 24 teams, will be played from May 20 to June 11 in six South Korean cities: Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeju, Jeonju and Suwon. Argentine football legend Diego Maradona celeb

Two South Korean football clubs will aim to collect their first win at the 2017 Asian Football Confederation Champions League this week.FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung Bluewings will resume their AFC Champions League group stage action, hoping to end their winless drought. Seoul are the defending champions of the top flight K League Classic, while Suwon are the reigning Korea Football Association Cup winners. (Yonhap)They are two of the four South Korean clubs at this year's ACL, along with Jeju Unit

After making national history at virtually every stop this season, South Korean teenage figure skater Cha Jun-hwan will look to make even more in his season finale this week.Cha, 15, will take the ice at the International Skating Union World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei. The men's short program is scheduled for Wednesday, followed by free skate on Thursday. In this file photo taken on Jan. 8, 2017, South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan performs his free sk

South Korean women's national football coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Monday he's concerned about the mental aspect of the upcoming showdown against North Korea in Pyongyang.South Korea will travel across the border for the AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifying tournament starting on April 3. South Korea will face North Korea, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong and India in Group B. South Korean national women's football head coach Yoon Duk-yeo speaks at a press conference in Seoul on March 13, 2017. (Yonhap)Only the to

South Korea football coach Uli Stielike said Monday his squad will try to overcome an intimidating atmosphere in China as the teams meet amid deepening tensions over a political issue.  South Korea unveiled a 24-man roster for the two matches in the final Asian World Cup qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup this month. The Taeguk Warriors will travel to China on March 23 and host Syria five days later in Group A play. South Korea men's football coach Uli Stielike poses for a photo ahead

A pair of domestic league strikers will lead the attack for South Korea in upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.The Korea Football Association unveiled a 24-man roster for the two matches in the final Asian World Cup qualifying round this month. South Korea will travel to China on March 23 and host Syria five days later in Group A play. Kim Shin-wook of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors celebrates his goal against Jeonnam Dragons in a K League Classic football match at Jeonju Sports Complex in Jeonju, Nor

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will visit PyeongChang this week to check on preparations for the 2018 Winter Games in the South Korean alpine town.Bach will arrive in South Korea on Tuesday to take a tour of the Olympic venues in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul, and to preside over the IOC's Executive Board meeting for two days starting Thursday. He will hold a press conference Friday. In this file photo taken on Aug. 4, 2016, the Internati

South Korean short track speed skater Seo Yi-ra has won his first world overall championship, earning an automatic Olympic berth in the process.Seo was crowned the overall champion at the International Skating Union World Short Track Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Sunday (local time). Seo won the men's 1,000 meters, adding to his bronze medals from the 500m and 1,500m. Seo then finished second in the 3,000m super final and ended with 81 ranking points, eight ahead of Sjinkie Kne

South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon has capped off a strong season with yet another international title.Lee won the mass start gold medal at the International Skating Union World Cup Speed Skating Final in Stavanger, Norway, on Sunday (local time), with the time of 8:07.74. He beat Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands by 0.09 second. South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon (Yonhap)This was Lee's second World Cup victory of the season. He collected 150 points from the win and ended the World C

South Korea fell to the Netherlands 5-0 at the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday, its second straight loss that all but dashed its hopes of advancing further.Jurickson Profar and Randolph Oduber each blasted a two-run home run before the shell-shocked crowd at Gocheok Sky Dome, where the first round action for Pool A nations is under way.The Netherlands touched South Korean pitching for 11 hits, while South Korea managed only six hits. (Yonhap)Earlier Tuesday, Israel defeated Chinese Taipei 15-7

The Paralympic test events kicked off last week with the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Gangneung. Three more test events -- the World Para Snowboard World Cup Finals, the World Para Nordic Skiing World Cup and the World Para Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals -- will be held this week, while the World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool will be contested from April 11 to 20.After test events, the KPC said there will be national team selection trials and selected members will have oversea